Dutch foreign minister resigns over Israel issue, cabinet split

There has been a lot of tension in Dutch politics over the proposal to impose sanctions on Israel. Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp has resigned following the cancellation of the bill. Even the remaining ministers from his party have left the coalition government. Caspar has complained that he has repeatedly faced obstacles from colleagues in taking anti-Israel measures. Al Jazeera reports. On Friday (August 22), the leader of the center-right party New Social Contract – NSC said that he could not reach a consensus on meaningful measures and faced strong resistance in the cabinet. The proposal to impose new sanctions against Israel was rejected in the Dutch parliament on that day. After that, NSC member Caspar announced his resignation. While the European Union was busy rushing to secure Ukraine’s security and negotiating with the United States on tariff issues, the Dutch foreign minister spoke out against Israel’s occupation. He has pressured the EU to impose trade sanctions on Israel. He has also called Tel Aviv’s occupation of Gaza City a wrong move. He has strongly demanded a ceasefire and aid supplies to Gaza. A few weeks ago, Kasper also took steps to cancel three shipments of weapons destined for Israel. He also took the initiative to ban two hardline Israeli ministers, Bezalel Smorich and Itmar Ben Gavir, from entering the Netherlands. However, he said that he had to face obstacles from his colleagues every time. Veldkamp said, the issue has been discussed seriously. I have been subjected to unreasonable criticism in parliament. Sometimes social organizations have also stood up with posters against me. In fact, I could not take effective and appropriate action. Other ministers of the New Social Contract party have also announced their withdrawal from the coalition government in solidarity with Kasper. The party’s provincial leaders have also announced their resignations. The Dutch ruling coalition began to break up last June due to the resignation of Islamophobic lawmaker Geert Wilders. This time, the center-right has also left, creating a more unstable situation. It is worth noting that the Netherlands has limited sanctions on Israel. However, Amsterdam continues to supply Tel Aviv with F-35 fighter jets.