The Netherlands is ramping up its pressure on Israel over its war on Hamas in Gaza in what appears to be a significant change in course for one of Israel’s most loyal allies.
Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp said on Wednesday that Israel’s ongoing blockade of humanitarian aid is in violation of international humanitarian law, and urged collective action from Brussels to review the EU-Israel trade deal.
“What we’re doing here, is giving a very clear signal,” Veldkamp said at the meeting of EU foreign ministers in Warsaw.
“We’ve drawn our line in the sand because the situation in Gaza Strip is dismal, it’s a catastrophic humanitarian situation,” he added.
Ahead of the meeting, Veldkamp had written a letter to EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas urging a review of the EU-Israel trade deal, saying Israel is violating the association agreement.
In the letter, he wrote that Israel’s intended system to control all aid distribution in Gaza does not comply with humanitarian principles of “neutrality, impartiality and independence.”
The EU-Israel Association Agreement governs trade ties between the two partners “shall be based on respect for human rights and democratic principles.”
The Dutch government intends to veto any agreement extension pending an EU review into Israel’s compliance with the pact, which came into force in 2000.
The EU is Israel’s largest trading partner, and the Netherlands has previously led initiatives to block discussions on suspending the association agreement.
It is some of the strongest language yet from the Dutch government against its ally, which has so far avoided outright accusing Israel of violating international law.
Pressure from aid organisations
The Dutch government had been on the receiving end of mounting pressure from local branches of international aid organisations to take a stronger stance against Israeli violence in Gaza.
Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof sat down with representatives of Oxfam Novib, Amnesty International, Pax, Save the Children and Doctors Without Borders last month, who had then expressed disappointment at the conversation’s outcome.
“There is no red line for the government. They are holding onto the conviction that diplomatic pressure achieves more,” Oxfam Novib director Michiel Servaes asid.
On Thursday, Schoof expressed support for Veldkamp’s statements, saying they reflect government policy. He said Israel’s announcement to expand its operations in Gaza and control the entire Strip was probably a factor that contributed to Veldkamp’s decision to write to Kallas.
Still, the move was not without internal criticism. Geert Wilders of the hard-right PVV, the main coalition partner and the winner of the most recent national election, lashed out at Veldkamp on X, calling him a “weak minister”.
ADVERTISEMENTOther foreign ministers present in Warsaw echoed Veldkamp’s words.
Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot said, “it’s time for the European Union and the whole international community to wake up. Honestly, what we are seeing is an absolute shame. It’s not acceptable.”
Luxembourg Foreign Minister Xavier Bettel said he had spent much time in the region in recent months, but his pleas to Israel to show restraint have been in vain.
“I have the feeling they’re listening to no one. I fully understand they have pressure, and Hamas, and they still have hostages. But we have to be around to table to see how we can find solutions,” Bettel told reporters.
ADVERTISEMENT“We need to find a solution to that and not to give the impression to the Palestinians that at the end of the day, they won’t exist anymore,” he said.
The Israel-Hamas war began when Hamas militants attacked southern Israel on 7 October 2023, killing around 1,200 people, most of them civilians. Hamas took 251 people as hostages, and is currently holding 59, of whom 24 are believed to be alive.
A subsequent Israeli offensive has to date killed 52,400 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry whose figures do not distinguish between fighters and civilians.
The Israeli military says 850 of its soldiers have died since the start of the war.
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