The outgoing cabinet is considering taking national measures against Israel to increase pressure on that country. Outgoing Prime Minister Dick Schoof reported this on X on Monday evening after an emergency meeting at the Catshuis.
Schoof met with outgoing ministers Caspar Veldkamp (Foreign Affairs) and Ruben Brekelmans (Defense) on Monday to discuss the “catastrophic situation in Gaza”. In response to the ever-worsening situation in Gaza, the cabinet is now considering announcing national measures against the Israeli government.
On Monday, the European Union announced that it would partially suspend Israeli participation in the EU research program ‘Horizon’ if Israel does not adhere to agreements made regarding Gaza. Schoof says that the Netherlands will support this. He will also, in that case, urge “additional Dutch measures, for example in the field of trade”.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog has just been informed by Schoof, the Prime Minister reports.
“The goal of the cabinet is crystal clear: the people in Gaza must immediately have unhindered and safe access to humanitarian aid,” said Schoof. Later, the cabinet will send a letter to the House of Representatives in which the decision will be further explained.
Schoof wants Israel to take a different course
Last week, GroenLinks-PvdA and D66 wanted the House of Representatives to return from recess for a debate on the situation in Gaza. The parties wanted the cabinet to take a tougher stance against Israel because of the dire situation in Gaza. A majority in the House voted against such a debate.
This weekend, Schoof stated that he believes concerns, unrest, and anger in Dutch society about the situation in the Gaza Strip are justified. According to him, the humanitarian situation there had reached “a new low”.
The Prime Minister said that he believed that the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu must “take a different course”. The cabinet wants Israel to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza.
Last week, 111 international aid organizations sounded the alarm about the situation in the Gaza Strip. In a statement, they criticized Israeli policy regarding the admission of aid. “Because access is denied to us, we cannot reach those in need. Not even our own exhausted and starving teams,” the statement said.