SAEDNEWS: The Palestinian resistance movement, Hamas, has praised the resignation of several Dutch ministers, including Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp, in response to their government's refusal to impose sanctions on Israel.
In a statement Saturday night, Hamas emphasized that the principled stance taken by the resigning Dutch ministers reflects human values and reaffirms adherence to international law, particularly in light of the ongoing humanitarian crisis facing the people of Gaza. The movement called their resignation an ethical position taking place at a time when the United Nations has declared famine in the Gaza Strip.
The Dutch foreign minister stepped down on Friday after he failed to secure cabinet support for stricter sanctions against Israel over its war in Gaza.
Veldkamp, who is a member of the center-right New Social Contract party, said that he could not achieve agreement on “meaningful measures” and had repeatedly faced opposition from colleagues over sanctions already in place, Al Jazeera reported.
In the past few weeks, Veldkamp imposed travel bans on far-right Israeli ministers, Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir, and revoked three export permits for navy ship components.
Following his resignation, all ministers and state secretaries from the New Social Contract party expressed their solidarity with Veldkamp and stepped down from the caretaker government.
Despite the resignations, the Dutch Parliament on Saturday voted against punitive measures against Israel and rejected a motion to recognize an independent Palestinian state.
The measures included a ban on the purchase of weapons from Israel, according to Politico.
The Dutch government has been facing mounting pressure to take decisive action against Israel over the war in Gaza. Protests have erupted across the Netherlands, with a significant demonstration in The Hague in June attracting between 100,000 and 150,000 participants, marking the largest protest in the European country in two decades.
