Dutch gov't sticking to diplomacy in Israel policy; Will evaluate military deliveries

The Dutch government is sticking to diplomacy in its approach to Israel’s attacks on Gaza. On Monday, five aid organizations asked in vain in a meeting with Dick Schoof and Minister Caspar Veldkamp (Foreign Affairs, NSC) for a “fundamental change” in the government’s policy on Gaza now that Israel has again launced a major offensive on the Palestinian coastal strip. Veldkamp did say in a letter to parliament that the government would monitor its military deliveries to Israel.

The aid organizations Oxfam Novib, Save the Children, Doctors Without Borders, Pax, and Amnesty International advocated for more steps against Israel, including sanctions against Israel to enforce an immediate ceasefire and an end to military cooperation. But the government is sticking to diplomacy, representatives of the aid organizations said after their meeting, which had already been postponed twice.

According to the aid workers, the Netherlands has double standards. In other conflicts, such as Myanmar, Ukraine, and Syria, the Dutch government was quick to impose consequences for violating the international legal order. But in Gaza, diplomacy is all it will do. “We are not asking for anything weird,” said Pim Kraan of Save the Children.

As of February 3, two weeks after the recently broken ceasefire took effect, Israeli attacks have killed 61,709 people, including 17,492 children, in Gaza. Over 111,588 people are injured and more than 14,222 are missing and presumed dead, Al Jazeera reported based on figures from the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

In Israel, the Hamas attacks on 7 October 2023 killed 1,139 people and left 8,730 injured.

So far, the Dutch government has refused to call the attacks in Gaza genocide or accuse Israel of war crimes. Though Minister Veldkamp did say over the weekend that Israel’s March 23 attack on a clearly marked ambulance convoy in Gaza “appears to be a breach of the laws of war.” Israeli troops killed 15 aid workers in that attack.

The Netherlands will monitor the transit and export of all military goods to Israel, including dual-use goods that can have both a civilian and military use, Ministers Reinette Klever (Foreign Trade) and Veldkamp wrote in a letter to parliament on Monday. They called the step “desirable given the security situation in Israel, the Palestinian Territories and the wider region.”

Last year, an appeals court ordered the Dutch government to stop sending parts for F-35 fighter jets to Israel because of the high risk that they would be used to violate international humanitarian law in the Gaza Strip. The government went into cassation to the Supreme Court. Advocate General Paul Vlas advised the Supreme Court to uphold the ban.