During my meeting with Minister Veldkamp, I reminded him of the 50 hostages that are still kept by Hamas in Gaza under horrific conditions.
Pressure is needed on Hamas. These measures by the Netherlands against Israel will only embolden Hamas in its refusal to agree to a ceasefire and the release the hostages. I relayed to Minister Veldkamp the disappointment of Israel that the Netherlands is taking measures against a friendly country in the midst of its war against terror.
The obsession and hatred against Israel is leading to unprecedented levels of antisemitism in the Netherlands. These measures against Israel further fuel the tensions.
The Dutch government is making a historic mistake with the measures announced against Israel.
Israel is always open to constructive dialogue but the recent positions do not contribute towards this.
The government seems to have forgotten how this war started. Israel did not choose this war. It was Hamas that invaded Israel on October 7th and tortured, raped, and murdered more than 1,200 people. The Palestinian terrorist organization still holds 50 Israelis hostage under unimaginable circumstances.
The war could be over today if Hamas surrenders, lays down its arms, and releases the hostages. Hamas has to this day repeatedly rejected proposals for a ceasefire and the release of the hostages, most recently last week when there was a real opportunity to end the suffering.
Over the past few days Israel implemented major steps to strengthen and upgrade the humanitarian response in Gaza to protect civilian lives and allow the delivery of aid through designated corridors, airdrops, and expanded humanitarian zones and pauses.
The government of the Netherlands has chosen once again to take severe measures against Israel. While rightly noting Israel’s right for self-defense, these actions have the opposite effect, emboldening Hamas, and leading them to harden its position, making a ceasefire less likely.