The Netherlands pivot on Israel as it requests the examination of the EU-Israel Commercial Agreement

The Netherlands accelerate his pressure on Israel for his war against Hamas in Gaza in what seems to be an important change in progress for one of the most faithful allies of Israel.

Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp said on Wednesday that the blockade in humanitarian aid of Israel was in violation of international humanitarian law and urged Brussels collective action to review the EU-Israel trade agreement.

“What we are doing here is to give a very clear signal,” Veldkamp said at the meeting of the EU foreign ministers in Warsaw.

“We have traced our line in the sand because the situation in the Gaza Strip is dismal, it is a catastrophic humanitarian situation,” he added.

Before the meeting, Veldkamp had written a letter to the EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas, urging an examination of the EU-Israel trade agreement, saying that Israel raped the association agreement.

In the letter, he wrote that the planned system of Israel to control any distribution of assistance in Gaza does not comply with the humanitarian principles of “neutrality, impartiality and independence”.

The agreement of the EU-Israel association governs trade links between the two partners “is based on respect for human rights and democratic principles”.

The Dutch government is intended to veto any extension of the agreement pending an EU examination on the compliance of Israel with the Pact, which entered into force in 2000.

The EU is Israel's largest trading partner and the Netherlands have previously led initiatives to block discussions on the suspension of the association agreement.

It is among the strongest languages of the Dutch government against its ally, which has so far avoided squarely accusing Israel of having violated international law.

Pressure from assistance organizations

The Dutch government had been at the end of the growing pressure of the local branches of international aid organizations to adopt a stronger position against Israeli violence in Gaza.

Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof met representatives of Oxfam Novib, Amnesty International, Pax, except children and doctors without borders last month, who then expressed his disappointment in the face of the result of the conversation.

“There is no red line for the government. They retain the conviction that diplomatic pressure gets more,” said Oxfam Novib director Michiel Servaes Asid.

Schoof expressed support for Veldkamp statements on Thursday, saying that they reflect government policy. He said the announcement of Israel to extend its operations to Gaza and control the whole band was probably a factor that contributed to the Veldkamp decision to write to Kallas.

However, this decision was not without internal criticism. Geert Wilders of the hard PVV on the right, the main partner of the coalition and the winner of the last national elections, were unleashed in Veldkamp on X, calling it “weak minister”.

Other foreign ministers present in Warsaw echoed the words of Veldkamp.

The Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot said: “It is time for the European Union and the whole international community to wake up. Honestly, what we see is an absolute shame. It is not acceptable.”

Luxembourg Minister of Foreign Affairs Xavier Bettel said he had spent a lot of time in the region in recent months, but his calls to Israel to show the restraint has been in vain.

“I have the feeling that they do not listen to anyone. I fully understand that they have pressure, and Hamas, and they always have hostages. But we must be there to see how we can find solutions,” Bettel told journalists.

“We must find a solution to this and not give the impression to the Palestinians in the end, they will no longer exist,” he said.

The War of Israel-Hamas began when Hamas activists attacked southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 people, most of them. Hamas has taken 251 people in hostages and currently has 59, 24 of whom are considered alive.

A subsequent Israeli offensive to date has killed 52,400 Palestinians to date, mainly women and children, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health managed by Hamas whose figures do not distinguish between combatants and civilians.

The Israeli army said that 850 of its soldiers have died since the start of the war.

Source Link