Rutte: Van Agt gave "color and substance to Dutch politics"; "Great respect," says King

Outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte saw flowery language and clear convictions in former Prime Minister Dries van Agt, who died on Monday. This predecessor of Rutte led three Cabintes of different compositions between 1977 and 1982. King Willem-Alexander remembers him with “great respect.” Other politicians also responded to his death.

“Dries van Agt, my ‘great-great-grandfather in office,’ is no more. A unique person who gave color and substance to Dutch politics with flowery language, clear convictions, and his striking presentation. I will miss this friend. I wish his family a lot of strength with the loss of Dries and his inseparable Eugenie,” said Rutte.

Rutte and Van Agt spoke regularly. Whenever Rutte called his predecessor his “great-great-grandfather,” he “invariably” got a quip in return. “Often accompanied by sincere and mildly formulated advice or an encouraging word,” the Prime Minister wrote on X. “I will miss that friendly contact very much.”

“Dries van Agt remained completely authentic throughout his life,” Rutte recalled. He also praised the former prime minister for remaining “committed, combative, and himself until the end.”

“We remember Dries van Agt, who served our country for many years as Prime Minister and Minister of Justice, with great respect,” King Willem-Alexander, Queen Maxima, and Princess Beatrix wrote in a response. “He took administrative responsibility in a turbulent time and managed to inspire many with his striking personality and colorful style. His commitment to our country and to maintaining connections in our society deserves great appreciation.”

“Thank you for your friendship, which I will always cherish,” wrote GroenLinks-PvdA leader Frans Timmermans about Van Agt. “The last few years have not been easy, but your loved ones have so much to remember with love and gratitude.”

Van Agt was the first leader of the CDA when it formed in 1980, but left his party in 2021 because he felt the Christian Democrats had too weak a stance on the Israel-Palestine conflict. Van Agt was a longtime supporter of human rights for the Palestinian people. He accused the party of ignoring the “immense suffering inflicted on the Palestinian people.” In 2018, Van Agt admitted to voting for GroenLinks in the last parliamentary elections.

“A striking man who pursued politics based on deep convictions,” CDA leader Henri Bontenbal said in response to Van Agt’s death. “We are grateful for everything he has done for the country.”

D66 leader Rob Jetten called Van Agt “a Prime Minister who managed to build bridges in economically difficult times.” According to Jetten, Van Agt was “committed to human rights until late in his life.”

According to Robert Soeterik of the Dutch Palestine Committee, Van Agt’s commitment to human rights and his positions on Palestine and Israel meant he faced severe criticism from his opponents. But he always remained untouchable because he knew the file well.

Van Agt made great efforts and used his network to put the Israel-Palestine issue in a different light and thus tried to contribute to solving it, Soeterik said. “What we really appreciated about him is that he publicly went back on previously held positions on Israel and the Palestinians. People with a prominent political background do not do that so easily. We thought and think that was big of him.”

Director of the Center for Information and Documentation on Israel (CIDI), Naomi Mestrum, wished Van Agt’s “family and relatives a lot of strength,” adding that her organization looks at Israel and the Israel-Palestinian conflict in a different way than Van Agt did.