San Francisco Frontiers - Dutch foreign minister resigns over Israel sanctions

Last month Veldkamp declared far-right Israeli ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich unwelcome in the Netherlands.

The Netherlands was also among 21 countries that signed a joint declaration on Thursday condemning Israel's approval of a major West Bank settlement project as "unacceptable and contrary to international law".

But after a cabinet debate on Friday about further possible measures to increase pressure on Israel were deadlocked, Veldkamp told ANP he was "insufficiently able to take meaningful additional measures".

On Thursday Veldkamp said he wanted to take further steps against Israel but later acknowledged he lacked confidence he could act effectively in the coming weeks or months.

"I feel constrained in setting the course I consider necessary as foreign minister," he said.

At home, the minister had been under pressure from a wave of protests against Israel's more than 22-month military campaign against Hamas militants in Gaza and what activists described as Dutch inaction.

The demonstrations in The Hague drew between 100,000 and 150,000 people -- the largest in the Netherlands in two decades.

Protesters demanded sanctions on Israel and humanitarian access for civilians in Gaza, where on Friday the United Nations officially declared a famine and blamed "systematic obstruction" of aid by Israel.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu swiftly dismissed the findings.

- No EU consensus -

EU foreign ministers have repeatedly failed to reach an agreement on collective sanctions against Israel, despite pressure from several member states.

Proposals under discussion have included suspending Israel's participation in a 900-million-euro ($1 billion) EU science and technology programme, trade restrictions and visa bans for specific Israeli officials.

In the Netherlands, Veldkamp told parliament in a letter released at the time that Ben Gvir and Smotrich "repeatedly incited settler violence against Palestinians, promoted illegal settlement expansion, and called for ethnic cleansing in Gaza".

Smotrich in response accused European leaders of surrendering to "the lies of radical Islam" and "rising antisemitism". Ben-Gvir said he would continue to act for Israel, even if banned from "all of Europe".

Veldkamp said the further steps he had proposed against Israel were "seriously discussed" but that he had encountered resistance in successive cabinet meetings.

Hamas's October 2023 attack that sparked the war resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.

Israel's offensive has killed at least 62,192 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to figures from the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza that the United Nations considers reliable.

P.Adams--SFF