Amsterdam
AP
–
Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp resigned on Friday evening after failing to secure new sanctions against Israel in the war in Gaza.
Verdkamp intended to introduce new measures in response to planned Israeli attacks in Gaza city and other densely populated areas, but was unable to secure the support of his coalition partners.
The 61-year-old former Israeli ambassador told reporters that he “cannot implement his own policies and chart the courses he thinks are necessary.”
Following Veldkamp’s resignation, the remaining cabinet members of his central right new Social Contract Party also left, causing chaos to the Dutch government.
“In short, that’s it,” said party leader Eddie Van Heejum, calling the Israeli government’s actions “a complete opposition to international treaties.”
The Dutch government had already collapsed in June when anti-Muslim MP Geert Wilders separated from the country’s four-person coalition over the migrant fight.
The remaining three parties remained in the caregiver government until the election was held in October.
The world’s leading authority on the food crisis said on Friday that the largest city in the Gaza Strip is being held by hunger and likely to spread across the territory without ending ceasefire and humanitarian restrictions.
The Dutch Parliament has repeatedly delayed discussions on sanctions against Israel. This is a discussion that has already been postponed from Thursday as the cabinet meeting took over on Friday afternoon.
“Hungerness, ethnic cleansing and genocide are underway,” Green’s left/Labor Party’s Kati Piri, who merged, told Congress.
In response to the planned military escalation, Woldkamp had proposed a ban on imports from Israeli settlements of occupied Palestinian territory.
Opposition politicians were unhappy with what was seen as a lack of action against Israel, calling for a lack of confidence in the minister.
