Dutch government won't label Gaza war as genocide after UN report

The Dutch government will not endorse a United Nations report accusing Israel of committing genocide in the Gaza Strip. Caretaker Foreign Minister David van Weel (VVD) stated in a letter to the Tweede Kamer that the Netherlands generally refrains from labeling situations as genocide.

He emphasized that the determination of genocide is ultimately the responsibility of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), a process that could take years.

“The Dutch caution in labeling situations as genocide should not be considered a denial of the severity of the situation in Gaza,” Van Weel wrote. “The human suffering is unprecedented, and the gravity does not escape the cabinet.”

The UN investigative commission concluded that Israel’s actions in Gaza meet the threshold for genocide, finding that “the highest Israeli authorities” are responsible for a “genocidal campaign with the specific intent to destroy the Palestinian population in Gaza.” Genocide is defined as acts intended to partially or wholly destroy a national, ethnic, or religious group.

Meanwhile, a Dutch boat departed on Wednesday from the Greek island of Milos to join the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF), a convoy carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza. Pro-Palestinian activists, including Greta Thunberg, crewed the flotilla of about 20 boats.

The Dutch vessel, named Mohammad Bhar after a 24-year-old Palestinian man with Down syndrome and autism who was reportedly killed by an Israeli military dog in Gaza, carries six activists aiming to urge the Dutch government to stop supplying dogs to Israel. Nine other Dutch activists are already on other flotilla vessels. The GSF organizers reported that two flotilla boats were attacked by drones last week, which Tunisian authorities described as “planned aggression.”

As of September 17, Israeli attacks have killed at least 65,062 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 165,697 people are injured.

In addition to daily bombings, Israel is also restricting aid from entering the Palestinian territory in any significant amounts. At least 432 people have starved to death in the Gaza Strip, including 146 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.