Ex-Dutch FM, former ambassador to Israel, says Netanyahu’s policies endanger the country

Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp, who resigned over the weekend after failing to secure new sanctions against Israel over the war in Gaza, tells Channel 12 that he believes Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is harming the country.

“As a friend of Israel, I believe that I must now warn that the military operation in Gaza City and the current actions of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet are harmful to Israel’s security — and ultimately to Israel’s identity,” the news outlet quotes him as saying.

Veldkamp had proposed a ban on imports from Israeli settlements in response to the planned military offensive.

The ex-foreign minister served as the Netherlands’ ambassador to Israel between 2011-2015.

Channel 12 says that Veldkamp stressed the need to end the war in Gaza as soon as possible, as it is no longer the “defensive and justified” war that it was in the aftermath of the October 7, 2023, Hamas massacre.

“I attach great importance to Israel’s security and future, but I disagree with the current government’s policy and conduct in Gaza. The war must end,” it quotes Veldkamp as saying.

The Dutch politician also expressed his belief that “the Netanyahu government has definitely lost its legitimacy in the eyes of the world,” Channel 12 says, adding that he holds this opinion “as someone who has made clear efforts to exert additional European pressure on Hamas, and has always raised the issue of the hostages at every opportunity.”

“I remain close, for professional and personal reasons, to Israeli society — a creative, free, and inspiring society in many ways,” he added.

Veldkamp resigned on Friday after finding himself unable to secure support for new measures against Israel in response to its planned offensive in Gaza City and other heavily populated areas of the Gaza Strip.

He told reporters that he felt he was unable “to implement policy myself and chart the course I deem necessary.”