Dutch Foreign Affairs Minister Tom Berendsen told parliament on July 21 that the Netherlands will unilaterally block goods from Israeli-occupied territories starting September 22, ahead of any EU-wide measure and despite acknowledgement that enforcement will be difficult

The Palestinian health ministry said Israeli forces shot dead two Palestinian men when settlers attacked a village in the occupied West Bank on July 20; the Israeli army said troops opened fire after being attacked while attempting to evacuate settlers from the village; the accounts diverge on whether Israeli forces were protecting settlers or accompanying the assault

Democratic congressman Ro Khanna of California said Israeli settlers carrying US-made M4 rifles surrounded his vehicle for more than an hour while he was visiting an abandoned Palestinian village in the occupied West Bank, and that Israel Defense Forces soldiers arrived and blocked the road rather than clearing it; Israel said the visit had not been coordinated in advance and no security had been arranged.

The European Commission circulated a confidential options paper before a July 13 EU foreign ministers' meeting setting out mechanisms to restrict EU imports of goods produced in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, ranging from partial labelling requirements to a total trade ban; EU foreign ministers had requested the paper at a June meeting.