Mass resignations shake the Dutch government in protest against the refusal to impose sanctions against Israel.

Arab Sea Newspaper - News Updates

Arab Sea - Follow-ups: The outgoing Dutch government witnessed a new political crisis on Friday evening after the resignation of nine ministers at once, in protest against the cabinet's refusal to impose additional sanctions on Israel following its military escalation in Gaza and the expansion of its settlement activities in the West Bank. Foreign Minister Kaspar Veldkamp was the first to submit his resignation, declaring his loss of confidence in his ability to continue working within the government, following repeated rejection of his proposals to impose "meaningful measures" against Israel. Veldkamp, a former ambassador to Tel Aviv, said: "What is happening in Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem cannot be ignored, yet all my attempts are met with obstruction within the council," he said. He was quickly followed by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Social Affairs Eddie van Hume, before the rest of the ministers of the "New Social Contract" (NSC) party withdrew from the government, including Interior Minister Judith Ottermark, Education Minister Ibo Bruins, Health Minister Danielle Jansen, Minister of State for Foreign Trade Haneke Burma, and four other ministers of state, bringing the total number of resignations to nine ministers. The resigning Deputy Prime Minister Van Hume said that the dispute over policy towards Israel was the direct cause of the withdrawal from the ruling coalition, adding: "The brakes were constantly applied whenever the idea of taking a firmer stance against the Israeli government was raised." For her part, the leader of the NSC party, Nicoline van Vroenhoven, confirmed that the party had repeatedly sent messages to the government about the need to change its position, but without response, which prompted it to take the decision to withdraw. These developments coincided with the Netherlands signing, along with 21 European countries, a joint statement on Thursday, condemning a new Israeli settlement project in the West Bank, and considering it a violation of international law. The resignations also came after the United Nations officially declared a state of famine in the Gaza Strip, holding Israel responsible for the humanitarian disaster facing more than half a million Palestinians. Before his resignation, Veldkamp had taken limited measures against Tel Aviv, including canceling three export permits for marine components, in addition to banning the entry of Israeli ministers Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich to the Netherlands because of their "repeated incitement to violence against Palestinians." The resignations led to the government coalition losing its parliamentary majority, as it now consists only of the liberal "People's Party for Freedom and Democracy" (VVD) and the populist "Farmer–Citizen Movement" (BBB), with a number of seats not exceeding 31 out of 150 in parliament. Prime Minister Dick Schoof expressed his "deep regret" at the withdrawal of the NSC party, announcing the cancellation of a scheduled visit to Kyiv to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Meanwhile, the BBB party considered that the resignation step left the country "without a rudder." The new crisis comes less than three months after the collapse of the previous government last June, following the withdrawal of far-right leader Geert Wilders and his "Freedom" party due to disputes over immigration policies, which deepens the state of political instability ahead of the early elections scheduled for October 29.