Dutch Israeli lobby group says Netanyahu strategy is failing, wants Gaza war to end

A prominent Dutch organization which lobbies on issues related to Jews, anti-Semitism and Israel has called on the Israeli government to end the war in the Gaza Strip. Naomi Mestrum, the director of the Center for Information and Documentation Israel (CIDI), said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has no clear exit strategy now more than eight months since the war began when Hamas militants launched an assault on Israel on October 7.

The attack caught Israel off guard on Sukkot, a Jewish holiday, as Hamas attacked a music festival and several kibbutzes. A total of 1,143 were killed and 251 others were taken hostage. The deaths included 731 civilian adults and 36 children, including a baby born hours earlier. An estimated 3,400 civilians and military personnel were wounded, and 20 of the hostages were killed. Israel’s immediate retaliation left 1,609 dead, but in the months since, Israel attacks have killed at least 22,626 adults, 15,000 children, and another 10,000 people are missing, according to the Hamas-led Palestinian Ministry of Health.

She noted that Hamas could immediately release the Israeli hostages still being held. “Although the key lies with Hamas, it is time for Israel to push for the end of the war,” Mestrum told Trouw on Wednesday. “The tipping point seems to have been reached; little strategic gain is being made anymore. Gaza must be rebuilt,” she said.

Earlier this month, Israeli launched a massive assault to free four hostages, which killed 270 Palestinians and injured 700 others, many of whom were civilians, according to Ministry of Health figures which were disputed by Israeli forces. “It is time for a different approach,” Mestrum said.

“Israel has every right to free the hostages. Hamas is holding them in populated areas and is taking the risk of unnecessary casualties. But this action shows that freeing hostages is becoming increasingly demanding and risky. Destroying the last Hamas battalions without causing large numbers of civilian casualties also seems almost impossible.”

A return to stability is badly needed, and the Israeli government needs to turn its attention to the future even if this is “a war that Israel did not ask for,” she said. “A war without end does not protect Israel from a new, horrific terrorist attack, like on October 7,” Mestrum told the newspaper.

“I can imagine that Hamas is attractive to some if you are surrounded by death and destruction. But as soon as you have the prospect of a stable and decent existence, you have less need for such a terrorist organization. An average Gazan just wants to build a life with children, he is not born with the idea of supporting Hamas.”

In her opinion, the only chance at a sustainable future is “an end to the war, new governance in Gaza, and releasing the hostages.” She added, “Maybe it is time for Abbas’ Palestinian Authority to play a role in Gaza. Put him there. Make sure that an international community supports him. Help from Egypt is important, from the United States. Maybe the United Nations can send a peacekeeping force that can provide temporary calm. What is important is that there can be no place for Hamas in the new government.”

Mestrum also said that her organization is often falsely depicted as an extension of the Israeli government. She said CIDI has long been a supporter of a two-state solution, and has objected to building new settlements. “We are for Israel, not necessarily for the Israeli government.”