【By Observer Net, Qi Qian】

According to Bloomberg on August 23, the Dutch government coalition has collapsed, and the Netherlands is facing an unprecedented political crisis.

The report said that the trigger for this event was the resignation of the Dutch Foreign Minister, Kasper Feldkamp, on the evening of the 22nd local time. Subsequently, several ministers and state secretaries from the same right-center party, New Social Contract, in the Dutch coalition government also announced their resignations collectively.

This political crisis in the Netherlands stems from serious divisions within the cabinet regarding the Israel issue.

Feldkamp himself supports pressuring Israel on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and calls on the government to recognize the State of Palestine. However, he stated that he failed to push the government to take "effective measures" against Israel and mentioned that he had repeatedly faced strong opposition from his colleagues in the cabinet for supporting a tougher approach towards Israel.

Dutch Foreign Minister Feldkamp (left) and the Minister of Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation announced their resignations Screenshot of Weibo

Coalition Government on the Brink of Collapse

"We are in an unprecedented period of geopolitical tension, and diplomacy is more important than ever," Feldkamp said in his resignation statement. He also told the Dutch news agency ANP that he was "powerless to take meaningful additional measures" regarding the Gaza issue.

Recently, Feldkamp suggested in a letter submitted to parliament that products from Jewish settlements illegally built by Israel in its occupied Palestinian territory should be banned from import. However, critics claimed that this move was not coordinated with cabinet colleagues, and members of other parties in the ruling coalition rejected the proposal.

According to reports, after Feldkamp's resignation, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Social Affairs and Employment from the New Social Contract Party, Eddie Hoekstra, the Minister of Education, Culture and Science, Eppo Bruins, the Minister of Interior and Kingdom Relations, Judith Uit den Bogaard, the Minister of Health, Welfare and Sports, Danielle Jansen, and four state secretaries resigned successively.

The Guardian pointed out that the withdrawal of Wilders and the New Social Contract Party further weakened the already fragile Dutch coalition government.

"The Netherlands is facing an unprecedented political dilemma," Bloomberg said, which left only the Liberal Party and the Farmer's Party in the Dutch coalition government, making the prospect of forming a new government even more complicated. After the Liberal Party left the coalition in June this year over issues related to refugee protection policies, the cabinet has been in a caretaker status. The Dutch House of Representatives election will be held on October 29.

On the 22nd, Dutch Prime Minister Scholz expressed "regret" over the collective resignation of ministers from the New Social Contract Party. He told reporters, "I will discuss the situation with some people in the coming days and talk about how we will continue, but we need to let everyone digest it first." According to reports, Scholz canceled his planned trip to Kyiv this weekend to meet President Zelenskyy.

Scholz said, "We all hope that the humanitarian situation in Gaza improves, but it's regrettable that we couldn't reach a consensus."

The Netherlands is caught in a political deadlock over the Israel issue

According to reports, there are serious differences among the members of the parties in the Dutch coalition government regarding the Israel issue.

Feldkamp told journalists on the 22nd, "I have seen what is happening in Gaza, the attacks on Gaza City, the events in the West Bank, the controversial decisions on settlement construction, and the issue of East Jerusalem."

Under the support of officials like Feldkamp, the Dutch government has taken measures against Israel, including banning right-wing cabinet ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir from entering the country, citing their repeated incitement of settlers to commit violence against Palestinians; revoking three licenses for exporting naval ship parts to Israel, citing the worsening situation in Gaza and the risk of improper end use...

Additionally, most MPs support opposing the Israeli government's ban on international and domestic journalists entering Gaza, calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.

However, according to Politico EU, one day after Feldkamp announced his resignation, on the 23rd local time, the Dutch parliament rejected the motion proposed by Feldkamp earlier to "recognize the State of Palestine" and opposed punitive measures against Israel, including boycotting products from the illegally occupied areas of the West Bank and prohibiting the purchase of weapons from Israel.

The Guardian mentioned that there have been multiple protests in the Netherlands demanding the government take action against Israel's war in the Gaza Strip. In June this year, between 100,000 and 150,000 people participated in a demonstration in The Hague, which was the largest protest in the Netherlands in 20 years.

New data released by the health department of the Gaza Strip show that since the latest round of the Israel-Palestine conflict began in October last year, the number of Palestinian deaths caused by Israel's military operations in the Gaza Strip has approached 40,000. On the 22nd, UN experts said that the city of Gaza and its surrounding areas are suffering from a "completely man-made" famine, and the death toll could increase exponentially.

This article is exclusive to Observer Net. Reproduction without permission is prohibited.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7542122140309389875/

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