Far -reaching chamber motion to immediately suspend association agreement with Israel, encountered ‘no’ from VVD

Again VVD was the decisive factor in Dutch Israel politics, but this time, foreign spokesperson Eric van der Burg acted as lock on the door.

Two months ago it was the liberals who a motion by GroenLinks-PvdA and CDA to investigate whether Israel still meets the conditions of the EU association agreement, helped a majority of the chamber.

On Tuesday, however, it was the VVD who immediately suspended the next, more far -reaching chamber motion – immediately suspending the association agreement. So no wonder it was especially busy with the interruption microphone when Van der Burg was speaking. The generally so agile VVD spokesperson sometimes visibly had a hard time parrying all the attacks of the opposition. In addition, the VVD spokesperson sought resort to an excited, indignant tone. When DENK party chairman Stephan van Baarle interviewed him critically, Van der Burg simply refused to answer-because Van Baarle had done him in an earlier debate incorrect allegations to his address.

« The Lord Van den Burg stands around here in a way that you see little, » noted D66 spokesperson Jan Paternotte.

« Every answer that gives Van de Burg is a you bin, » noted Laurens Dassen (Volt).

To shove

Since the resumption of the Gaza War, the House of Representatives-that since the Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023 stood in the majority behind Israel-has slowly shifted. And the VVD also voted for a motion Kati Piri (GroenLinks-Pvda) and Derk Boswijk (CDA) in which it was called to investigate whether Israel still complies with Article 2 of the Association Convention with the EU, which states that the relations between Israel and the European Union must be based on ‘human rights and democracy.

Last week, Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp (NSC) implemented the motion by asking for such an investigation in a letter to the European Commission. Veldkamp immediately took an advance on the conclusions: the already 72 -day full blockade, which means that hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are threatened with starvation, goes against humanitarian law, the minister wrote. During an informal top of the European Foreign Ministers in Warsaw, Veldkamp submitted the Dutch proposal. Next Tuesday the European ministers will vote on it.

Veldkamp’s change of course immediately caused friction with coalition partner PVV. During the debate in the House of Representatives, abroad spokesperson Raymond De Roon of the Minister wanted to know why the decision was not discussed in the cabinet. De Roon drew a comparison with the support that Prime Minister Schoof expressed-without consultation-for the proposal from the European Commission to stretch the budget rules to enable larger defense expenditure. « That too was presented as a fact without consultation, » said the PVV person. « We don’t like that. »

Given the anger of PVV side, it might not be so surprising that Van der Burg, like his NSC colleague Isa Kahraman, took his heels in the sand during the attempts from the room to take further steps against Israel. An investigation into the conditions of the Association Convention would take months, Sarah Dobbe noted. « Then the children in Gaza are already dead. » But although Kahraman praised his own minister Veldkamp for his decision (which the NSC was originally against), the NSC was not willing to continue. According to Kahraman, it was not wise to immediately use ‘the nuclear option’ – such as suspension of the economically important treaty for Israel.

Harder sanctions

Laurens Dassen thought that « weak bullshit »: « harder sanctions are now needed. » In the meantime, the opposition in the Chamber was busy formulating the motion in which the « direct suspension » of the trade agreements in the Association Agreement was called. The motion was signed by Israel-critical parties such as GroenLinks-PvdA, Volt, the SP and the Party for the Animals, but also by the CDA-not by Eric van der Burg. The VVD, Van der Burg said several times during the debate, wants to support ‘effective measures’ to increase the pressure on Israel. Which that should be? Van der Burg took another glass of water. « I must honestly tell you that I don’t know. »

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