Partij voor de Dieren criticizes airdrops in Gaza as tensions rise in parliament debate

The VVD and the Partij voor de Dieren clashed on Thursday in parliament about the airdrops that a Dutch military aircraft is set to carry out over the Gaza Strip starting Friday. Christine Theunissen of the Partij voor de Dieren has criticized the airdrops, saying that they are dangerous and humiliating for the Palestinian people, while Van den Burg thinks that any form of aid should be used, stating that every meal helps.

"Stop lecturing the Partij voor de Dieren,” said Christine Theunissen (Partij voor de Dieren) to Eric van den Burg (VVD). "I’m warning against a dangerous and largely symbolic measure. I urge the VVD to stop constantly obstructing. For once, actually do something!"

Theunissen pointed out to the liberal MP that during a previous airdrop, an aid worker was killed while trying to catch a falling relief package. It was also reported today that a child died as while trying to secure one of the food packages.

Van den Burg is of the opinion that the Netherlands cannot make a difference regarding the situation in Gaza. He thinks that the 27 foreign affairs ministers of the European Union member states have to develop a package of sanctions together.

The VVD minister said this after Sarah Dobbe of the SP asked for the VVD to support her motion to have the Cabinet bring extra sanctions against the Israeli government. “There is no Dobbe motion that will make trucks enter Gaza tonight. Netanyahu is slightly less inclined to listen to Ms. Dobbe or Mr. Van den Burg than, say, Trump.”

The atmosphere in the Tweede Kamer, the lower house of Dutch parliament, was heated throughout the debate on Gaza as BBB member Henk Vermeer was also harshly criticized by opposition parties when he contradicted MPs who claimed that no aid is entering Gaza. “According to United Nations figures, 2,600 trucks have entered since May. Some of that aid has been intercepted by starving people or armed groups,” Vermeer said.

The fact that the BBB brought up these numbers during the debate led to anger from the left-wing opposition. "Why does Vermeer think there's a famine?" Jan Paternotte of D66 asked. Theunissen said that the few trucks are just a drop in the ocean compared to the starvation currently happening.

Laurens Dassen of Volt noted that under normal circumstances, around 500 trucks would be entering every day. “If only five days’ worth of food comes in over four months, you can see how dire the situation is.”

Vermeer did not respond to the comments. "I'm not saying there is no famine, nor am I saying enough aid is getting through. What really matters is what can come in today and tomorrow. That's what I want to ask the minister about."

The SGP was unable to say how far it is willing to continue supporting Israel. MP Diederik van Dijk of the conservative Christian party said that the laws of war should be the guiding principle, but that there is considerable debate about how they apply. “Are they complying, are they doing everything possible to prevent innocent civilian casualties?” he asked during Thursday’s Gaza debate in response to questions from the FVD.

FVD leader Thierry Baudet wanted to know at what point the situation becomes unacceptable and how many Palestinian deaths the SGP believes would be too many. Van Dijk refused to answer such a “calculation.” The SGP MP did say that the suffering in Gaza “cuts to the bone,” calling every Palestinian child killed “horrific.”

The SGP believes that much of the information is influenced by the terrorist organization Hamas and wants more attention paid to Israel’s perspective. Further sanctions against Israel, which many parties are calling for, would, according to Van Dijk, only “encourage Hamas not to take a single step toward peace.” He instead advocates sanctions against countries that support Hamas.

While the debate continued in the Tweede Kamer, the building of the Centrum Informatie en Documentatie Israel (CIDI) in the center of The Hague was vandalized. An ANP reporter saw a red substance smeared on the walls, door, and windows. Flour was also thrown against the facade. No texts were written on the building. A bottle of ketchup was left on the ground.

Part of the vandalism was filmed by someone. In the video, two people can be seen throwing liquid substances against the building before cycling away. CIDI shared the video on X.

The lobby group highlighted that the vandalism coincided with the Gaza debate. "Anything related to Israel is a target. What will be the next step? Where will this end?" CIDI wrote alongside the video.

The police are aware of the vandalism, a spokesperson said. An investigation is underway, including reviewing nearby camera footage and using "other methods to find out who is behind this."

This came after the same form of vandalism had happened on the Tweede Kamer building. A small demonstration against the violence in Gaza had taken place in front of the entrance to the Tweede Kamer. Two people were arrested for vandalizing the parliamentary building.