(JNS) Three centrist parties in the Netherlands in the past week presented a coalition agreement that signaled a shift away from the pro-Israel policies of the previous coalition in favor of standard EU positions.
“The Netherlands is committed to a two-state solution, namely an independent, democratic and viable Palestinian state alongside a secure Israel,” stated the document, which spells out the foreign and domestic principles of the coalition of the progressive D66 party, the center-right People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy and the Christian Democratic Appeal.
The new coalition replaces the one headed by Geert Wilders’s Party for Freedom, a pro-Israel, anti-Islam movement, following last year’s general elections.
“The terrorist organization Hamas must not play any role whatsoever in the governance of the Palestinian territories,” the coalition document added.
“There must be an end to the expansion of illegal settlements, to Israeli violence against civilians in Gaza, and to the obstruction of humanitarian aid. We will contribute to the reconstruction of Gaza together with the international coalition, with the effectiveness of aid as a top priority.
“Within the budget for aid to Palestinians, we are restoring cooperation with UNRWA, and are also committing to cooperation with other aid organizations active in the region,” the document stated.
The new agreement also says: “National measures and European sanctions against [members of] the Netanyahu government and its associates will remain in force until meaningful steps toward peace and the upholding of international law are taken.”
Gidi Markuszower, a Dutch-Jewish lawmaker who last month left the Party for Freedom with six others, said the new coalition agreement reflects a broader shift against Israel in the political sphere in the Netherlands.
“The attitude of more and more political parties toward Israel is getting increasingly hostile. The new coalition agreement is no exception to that reality,” he told JNS.
On Iran, the document said: “The destabilizing influence of Iran and of [terrorist] organizations affiliated with the Iranian regime, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, must be countered with maximum sanctions.”
The leaders of D66, which has the largest number of seats in parliament among the coalition partners, have accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza.
A former leader of D66, Sigrid Kaag, suggested in 1996 that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “did not represent” Israelis even though he was elected to lead their government. She is married to Anis al-Qaq, a deputy minister under former Palestinian Authority head Yasser Arafat in the 1990s and a former PLO ambassador to Switzerland.
The new coalition followed a general election last year. The Party for Freedom, the previous coalition’s largest partner, toppled the coalition last year over disagreements with its partners over immigration, which it sought to limit dramatically. Led by Wilders, the Party for Freedom is staunchly pro-Israel and has an anti-Muslim agenda.
The previous agreement was the first to mention the possibility of moving the Dutch embassy to Jerusalem, did not mention Palestinian statehood, and carried no allegations against Israelis. It also mentioned Holocaust education in the context of integrating immigrants.
It stated: “The Netherlands supports Israel’s right to exist and security. Taking into account the solutions to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and diplomatic interests, we will explore when the embassy can be moved to Jerusalem at an appropriate time.”
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