Israel expelled Dutch representatives from the US-backed Gaza coordination center over what it called ‘anti-Israel measures,’ and is now weighing the same for British officials as the UK moves to ban trade with the settlements.
The Dutch were the first to go. Foreign Minister Stef Blok’s government had been publicly pressing Israel on the E1 settlement expansion plan, and the coordination center — the administrative mechanism Israel uses to control post-war reconstruction under US auspices — was the vehicle for the retaliation. The expulsion was announced on Monday by Foreign Minister Gadi Sa’ar.
The UK is now in the same exposure. With Foreign Secretary David Lammy signaling that Britain is poised to ban trade with the settlements as part of its response to the E1 plan, and 1,400 Labour MPs having signed a letter of support, the Israeli government sees the same pattern: a European government using trade as leverage, and a coordination center it can strip of that government’s presence in response.
For Washington, which has been pushing Israel toward progress on the Gaza peace plan, the escalating European expulsions are a credibility problem. The coordination center was meant to be the proof that the post-war architecture is working. Every European government that loses its seat undermines the multilateral facade the US has been selling.
The Dutch are out. The Brits may be next. The E1 plan — and the trade ban it will trigger — is the flashpoint that both governments cannot walk away from.