Former parliamentarian targeted for banned Israeli wine purchase

A complaint has been filed against former orthodox Protestant SGP MP Roelof Bisschop, who said publicly that he had bought wine in protest against the Dutch ban on goods from illegal Israeli settlements, public broadcaster NOS reported.

Pro-Palestinian group BDS Netherlands (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) filed the criminal complaint with the public prosecution service (OM). Activists had earlier reported Bisschop to the fiscal investigation service FIOD.

Bisschop bought two bottles on September 23, the day after the ban took effect, and posted a photo of them on social media. Two days later he told Christian television channel Family7 that the purchase was a “statement” against the ban.

Since September 22, the Netherlands has banned imports of goods from illegal settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories and the Golan Heights. The rules also ban buying and selling such goods, intermediary trade and any form of circumvention.

In its complaint, BDS Netherlands said Bisschop had deliberately acted against the sanctions policy and promoted this on several platforms.

“Anyone who, as a former MP, publicly announces they are deliberately testing the law can expect the OM to look at whether that is a criminal offence,” the group said in the complaint.

It is not yet clear whether the wine is covered by the ban. The producer, Teperberg Winery, has vineyards in the occupied West Bank and is on a UN list of companies active in settlements. However, it says these wines are made just inside Israel. Bisschop told NOS he did not know exactly where the bottles came from.

The OM said it is aware of the complaint and will assess whether there are grounds to open an investigation.