EU investigation into Gaza causing alarm bells in Israel, Dutch Foreign Minister says

The European Union’s investigation into the situation in Gaza is very significant and is having an impact in Israel, Minister Caspar Veldkamp of Foreign Affairs said on Nieuwsuur. He denies accusations from municipalities, parliament, and around 100,000 protesters in The Hague that the Dutch government is not doing enough to call the Israeli government to order.

According to Veldkamp, the EU investigation he proposed “really makes an impression” in international politics. “I know that many people in the Netherlands say this is a small step. But this has set off a huge alarm bell,” he said. And that is also being heard in Israel, according to the NSC Minister. He pointed out that last week, Israel allowed a tiny amount of humanitarian aid into Gaza for the first time in months.

Last week, the EU supported a Dutch proposal to investigate whether Israel is adhering to the human rights conditions for a cooperation treaty with the Union. The reason was Israel’s refusal to let any aid supplies into Gaza while continuing to attack the Palestinian territory. That violates international humanitarian law, the supporters of the proposal said.

Veldkamp still did not want to mention the word genocide on Nieuwsuur. According to him, it is “up to international judges” to determine. “Regardless of the label, I find that war terrible and the best way to stop it is a ceasefire.”

There are still many questions about the EU investigation, including how long it will take and what the consequences would be if the EU determines Israel is breaking international humanitarian law. Veldkamp would not answer these questions directly. “I do not rule out that we will have to do more in the future,” he said.

Veldkamp doesn’t have much wiggle room in the Cabinet on this point. The PVV is the biggest coalition party, and leader Geert Wilders is a loyal friend of Israel. Veldkamp pointed out that “the government program clearly states that we want to alleviate the emergency in Gaza and adhere to international law. So the Cabinet supports this step.”

The EU investigation wasn’t Veldkamp’s idea. Spain and Ireland made a similar proposal last year. The opposition parties GroenLinks-PvdA and CDA have also been asking for this investigation for some time.