Coalition government partners declined to support Caspar Veldkamp’s proposal for punitive actions against the Jewish state concerning the Gaza conflict
Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp has resigned in protest following the coalition government’s refusal to impose sanctions on Israel over its activities in Gaza.
The Dutch Foreign Ministry confirmed the resignations of Veldkamp and Minister for Foreign Trade Hanneke Boerma in a statement issued on Saturday. It indicated that “after a cabinet meeting discussing the situation in Gaza,” the Social Contract (NSC) party, to which both officials belong, chose to withdraw from the caretaker coalition government.
In a statement posted on its website on Friday, the party articulated that it had sought “additional measures” against Israel given the “increasingly dire humanitarian situation in Gaza.” However, the other two coalition partners would not endorse sanctions, prompting the NSC’s withdrawal in protest.
Veldkamp, who previously served as the Dutch ambassador to Israel, had advocated for a ban on imports from Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territories in response to Israel’s ongoing military offensive in Gaza.
On Thursday, the Netherlands, along with 20 other nations, co-signed a joint declaration condemning Israeli intentions to construct an unauthorized settlement in the occupied West Bank. Last month, Amsterdam declared two hardline Israeli ministers unwelcome.
In June, Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares called upon the EU to “immediately suspend” the EU‑Israel association agreement and implement a prohibition on arms sales to Israel.
Given the continuing Israeli military operation in Gaza, an increasing number of traditionally pro-Israel Western countries, including France and the UK, have recently expressed a readiness to officially recognize Palestinian statehood.
Earlier this week, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced the commencement of an operation aimed at taking full control of Gaza City.
The conflict commenced after a Hamas incursion into southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which resulted in approximately 1,200 deaths and 250 people being taken hostage. According to Gaza’s Hamas-controlled Health Ministry, more than 62,000 individuals, predominantly civilians, have been killed by Israeli strikes in the enclave since then.