While in The Hague the tone towards Israel becomes more critical when it comes to the destruction in Gaza, a sharp condemnation of the Israeli attacks on Iran is not forthcoming. Outgoing Prime Minister Dick Schoof spoke last Friday about ‘alarming attacks’, without calling Israel explicitly. Later, and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Caspar Veldkamp (NSC) said, said that Israel felt “forced” to bombard Iran’s nuclear installations.
An ambiguous formulation. The need for regretting may sound a bit critical, but there is also an understanding of the security care of the Israeli government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who stated that Iran’s nuclear program for Israel is an “existential threat”. And that while legal experts emphasized in recent days that Israel should not simply carry out these attacks according to international law.
It is not surprising that the Dutch government weighs the situation around Iran differently than the war in Gaza. The nuclear program of Iran has been seen as threatening for years throughout the Western world. For example, the Dutch AIVD Israel and the United States helped in 2007 with the sabotage of the nuclear complex in Natanz. The Iranian regime also applies to many Western countries as hostile, because of the heavy repression against their own citizens and the support for terrorist groups such as Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis.
Read also
‘The Israeli attack on Iran is not covered by the right to self -defense’
Contrast
The concept for Israel around Iran contrasts with the more critical sound that the outgoing cabinet recently made around Gaza. That happened under great social pressure: last Sunday, according to Oxfam Novib, 150,000 people in The Hague demonstrated against the Dutch Israel policy. Minister Veldkamp previously urged an EU study into a possible violation of the conditions in the association agreement with Israel, a treaty that guarantees free trade and is of great importance for Israel. The outcome of that investigation is expected next week, after which extra steps against the Israeli government may be discussed in the EU context.
The question is to what extent the war with Iran the enthusiasm to tackle Israel will change harder. In many other European countries last week also sounded understanding for the Israeli bombing. EU committee chairman Ursula von der Leyen and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer emphasized Israel’s right to self-defense and the German Chancellor Friedrich Merz expressed his full solidarity with Israel and accused the Iranian regime of fueling regional terrorism.
Due to the situation in Gaza, a discussion about sanctions lives in the EU context. Earlier this month, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Norway placed the Israeli Ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir on the sanction list because of their role in the violence against Palestinians. A number of parties in the Lower House wants the Netherlands to also work on this in the EU context. Volt leader Laurens Dassen previously submitted a motion for this together with GroenLinks-PvdA, D66 and SP. The outgoing cabinet Schoof announced on Wednesday in a letter to the Chamber that it would join a Swedish initiative to consider the two Israeli ministers within the EU sanctions.
Ten years ago there was another agreement. Now we are in danger of sliding into a world where such agreements no longer have any meaning
Sanctions
This motion dates from Iran before the Israeli attack on Iran, but according to Dassen, that attack only makes the call more urgent: “I am in any case for sanctions against Israel – political, economic and a arms membargo – because of what happens in Gaza and on the western Jordoever, that is the escalation.”
Kati Piri (GroenLinks-PvdA) also does not believe that Iran’s threat should lead to Dutch understanding for Israeli actions. Piri warns of a world “in which power wins of rights, and every country thinks: I just bomb another”. According to her, such attacks are a direct violation of international law. She points out that the Netherlands is always attaching to UN rules, but that they now seem to erode: “Ten years ago there was another agreement [met Iran]With the support of the US, Russia, China and Iran. Now we threaten to slide to a world where such agreements no longer have meaning. ”
Other sounds sound with right -wing fractions. Government Party VVD, a little more critical about the violence in Gaza in recent weeks, supported Israel when it comes to Iran. VVD leader Dilan Yesilgöz spoke of “an understandable action by Israel, focused on the nuclear weapon program,” party party Eric van der Burg called the Iranian regime “very dangerous, with nuclear weapons especially.”
NSC MP Isa Kahraman also called the Israeli attacks “a necessary step.” He thereby refers to the latest report from the International Atomic Agency, which was published last week. “This is the most far -reaching report of the past twenty years, Iran does not comply with the agreements.” Kahraman does have a critical note, now that the United States, led by President Donald Trump, may also want to get involved in the war. “It’s a terrible regime, but we have to be careful not to do everywhere Regime Change try to force it. That must be the will of the people – I hope we have learned that lesson in the meantime. “
Read also
Anxious Iranian civilians feel abandoned. ‘While Israel is bombarding residential areas, the regime is busy with propaganda’
