The two countries join a growing number of European nations restricting trade with Israeli settlements, as Doha renews its call for a two-state solution.

Qatar has welcomed decisions by the Netherlands and Belgium to ban Israeli settlement products, describing the moves as a crucial step toward holding Israel accountable under international law.

“The State of Qatar welcomes the bans by the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Kingdom of Belgium on Israeli settlement products,” Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Wednesday, calling the move “a crucial step that supports efforts aimed at deterring the occupation’s settlement policies, which flagrantly violate the resolutions of international legitimacy, particularly Security Council Resolution 2334”.

The ministry expressed hope that more countries would follow suit, stressing that “the international community must undertake its legal and moral responsibilities to compel Israel to halt its settlement policies in the occupied Palestinian territories.”

The Netherlands confirmed this week that its ban — covering the import, purchase and sale of settlement goods — takes effect on September 22, with Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen telling parliament the measure also extends to brokering services and applies to Dutch companies operating abroad.

Berendsen also added that the trade ban had long been in the pipeline, with the September 22 implementation date being the only new development.

The measure had already received backing from a majority in the Tweede Kamer, the lower house of the Dutch parliament, last year.

Under the ban, Dutch companies will be prohibited from providing brokering services that facilitate trade with illegal Israeli settlements.

The restrictions also extend to Dutch firms operating outside the Netherlands — a significant detail given the country’s status as a preferred base for many multinational corporations due to its favourable tax environment.

Belgium approved its own ban on July 18 as part of a wider package of measures against Israel.

The two countries join Ireland, Spain and Slovenia among a growing number of European nations moving to restrict settlement trade, as pressure builds on the EU to adopt a bloc-wide measure — a push that has met resistance from Germany and Italy.

Qatar reaffirmed its “iron-clad and enduring position” in support of a two-state solution and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state along the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.