Israel warns its travelers... the Netherlands opens suitcases over settlements

Tensions between Israel and the Netherlands have entered a new phase after a Dutch decision took effect on September 22 banning the import, purchase and sale of goods originating from Israeli settlements. The ban covers products from the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights, as well as services that enable trade in such goods or circumvent the measures, with a maximum penalty of six years in prison for deliberate and serious violations. Israel's Foreign Ministry warned citizens planning to travel to the Netherlands of possible difficulties and lengthy, "humiliating" customs searches of their luggage, saying it had received reports of searches of travelers' bags on flights arriving from Israel and that it is verifying the scope of these measures. The ministry said the Israeli government views the step seriously and has taken retaliatory measures, including revoking the diplomatic status granted to Dutch representatives working with the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah and removing Dutch representatives from an international coordination center on Gaza in Kiryat Gat, amid Israeli fears that other European countries may follow the Dutch example.