Palestinian Foreign Ministry condemns occupation measures against Dutch diplomats in the West Bank
Ramallah, September 28 (KUNA) -- The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates condemned on Monday the Israeli occupation’s measures against Dutch diplomats accredited to the occupied Palestinian territory, including Jerusalem. In a statement, the Palestinian Foreign Ministry affirmed that the Dutch diplomats are welcome in the land of the State of Palestine, and that the Israeli occupation holds no sovereignty over any part of Palestinian territory. It expressed its rejection of the Israeli occupation authorities’ attempts at blackmail and threats aimed at pressuring countries to alter their fair and courageous stances, and to diminish the international and diplomatic presence in Palestine so as to enable the commission of its crimes without witnesses.
The ministry praised the bilateral relations between Palestine and the Netherlands, and underscored its support for the positions of the Netherlands and other countries that have begun taking practical steps to safeguard the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination, to protect the land and the people, and to preserve the two-state solution from the encroachment of colonial settlement activities. It called for the adoption of necessary measures in accordance with international law and Security Council resolutions.
The ministry urged the international community and its institutions to stand together and not leave individual countries and international institutions alone in facing the Israeli occupation authorities’ measures against them and against their diplomats and staff in the State of Palestine.
Earlier, the Israeli occupation authorities decided to revoke the diplomatic status of Dutch diplomats in Ramallah, following the Dutch government’s decision to ban the import and marketing of settlement products. The Israeli Foreign Ministry announced in a statement that Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar had informed the Dutch embassy that the Dutch diplomats in Ramallah must return their diplomatic documents within seven days, after which their immunities and rights would expire. The statement clarified that this measure came in response to the Dutch government’s actions against the Israeli occupation, including the ban on importing settlement products established in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the occupied Syrian Golan. (End) N.Q. / N.A.A.
