Netherlands not ready to recognize Palestinian state, Minister tells UN
The Netherlands wants to recognize a Palestinian State, but is not ready to do so yet, caretaker Foreign Minister David van Weel said at a United Nations conference on Monday. France, Belgium, and Luxembourg, among other Western countries, did recognize the Palestinian state amid Israel’s ongoing attacks on the Gaza Strip.
“The Netherlands will recognize a Palestinian State at a later stage as part of a political process that must begin now,” Van Weel (VVD) said, NOS reports. He did not specify a timeframe.
Van Weel reiterated that the Netherlands supports a two-state solution and that the violence must end.
Last week, Van Weel also said that the Netherlands would not call Israel’s violence in the Gaza Strip a genocide, despite an UN report finally doing so.
Van Weel told NRC that the decision not to recognize the Palestinian State was not a way to spare Israel. “I don’t think Israel will be spared,” he said. “And you’ve also seen the fierce reactions from Jerusalem and Tel Aviv: there are threats of annexing the West Bank. We find that absolutely unacceptable. I think the most important thing now, regardless of whether to recognize it or not, is pressure on Israel to ensure they start negotiations.”
So far, the Netherlands' action against Israel has remained limited to an entry ban against two extremist Israeli Ministers, pushing the EU to investigate a trade deal with Israel, and a promise to ban imports from illegal Israeli settlements in Palestinian territory as soon as possible. On Budget Day, the King also said the Netherlands would work with international partners to end the violence in Gaza.
An RTL Nieuws reporter asked Palestinians in the West Bank what they thought about Western countries declaring a Palestinian State. Most called it a hopeful step but doubted that anything would change. Israel continues to slaughter people in Gaza and controls everyone and everything that enters and leaves the Palestinian territories. “The world has been playing with the future of Palestine for too long,” one man told the reporter.
As of September 22, Israeli attacks have killed at least 65,344 people in the Gaza Strip, including at least 19,424 children and babies, Al Jazeera reported based on the latest figures from the Palestinian Ministry of Health. At least 166,795 people are injured.
In addition to daily bombings, Israel is also restricting aid from entering the Palestinian territory in any significant amounts. At least 440 people have starved to death in the Gaza Strip, including 147 children. According to the UN-backed food security scale, Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, there is a phase 5 famine situation in Gaza. This is the highest level and is characterised by starvation, destitution, and death.
