Parliament agree to halt summer recess to debate situation in Gaza

The lower house of Dutch parliament, the Tweede Kamer, will interrupt its summer recess for a committee debate on the humanitarian situation in Gaza. A majority on Tuesday supported a request by SP member of parliament Sarah Dobbe, according to several members of parliament. It is not yet clear when the debate will take place, as the VVD and CDA first want more information from the European Commission and the Dutch Cabinet.

A similar request from Kati Piri (GroenLinks-PvdA) and Jan Paternotte (D66) did not garner enough support within parliament last week. There was no response from the VVD and the CDA on that occasion. Just like last time, the PVV, NSC, BBB, and SGP again voted against the request in an email procedure.

The situation is different now, Dobbe wrote in her request. On Monday evening, Caspar Veldkamp sent a letter in which he stated, among other things, that two controversial Israeli ministers are no longer welcome in the Netherlands and that the Israeli ambassador will be summoned.

The VVD and CDA want to know how the European Commission plans to respond and are asking the Cabinet to react to this before a debate takes place. They also want answers to written questions submitted earlier.

VVD MP Eric van der Burg, for example, asked whether the Cabinet could "if necessary and desirable" carry out food airdrops.

This comes on the same day that Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar told the Dutch ambassador that he regrets the Netherlands’ decision to "trade a long-standing friendship with Israel for open hostility." Israel had summoned the ambassador after the Netherlands announced plans to impose entry bans on two Israeli ministers.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar stated that he informed Dutch ambassador Marriët Schuurman that the Netherlands can expect a response from Israel.

Saar also claimed that the Dutch government’s decision to impose measures on Israel “fuels antisemitism in the Netherlands,” referring to riots in Amsterdam last November following the football match between Ajax and Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv. He added that he wished the Netherlands “success” in future confrontations with radical Islamic elements that he said have taken root in the country.

He further argued that pressure should be directed at Hamas, and that any attempt to change Israeli policy is “doomed to fail.” According to Saar, such steps only reduce the chances of achieving a ceasefire in Gaza.

The Netherlands will advocate in Brussels for the suspension of the trade component of the agreement between Israel and the European Union, due to the “horrific humanitarian” situation in Gaza, according to the outgoing Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp. According to the NSC minister, the suspension would impact “many billions in Israeli exports.”

Veldkamp described the move as a “very significant step,” on top of previously announced measures. On Monday, he had already imposed entry bans on two controversial Israeli ministers, in an effort to pressure Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to allow more aid into Gaza. He also summoned the Israeli ambassador.

The Netherlands is calling for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. “But even without a ceasefire, Israel bears full responsibility to comply with international humanitarian law and to lift all humanitarian restrictions on the Gaza Strip,” Veldkamp stated.