NAfter more than a hundred days of fighting between Israel and Hamas, the gap in the conflict in the House of Representatives still cannot be bridged, this became clear on Thursday during . For example, Don Ceder (Christian Union) asked Foreign Minister Hanke Bruins Slot why the Netherlands did not openly support Israel in the genocide complaint that South Africa filed against that country at the International Court of Justice.
Later, Gijs Tuinman (BBB) will also ask for Dutch condemnation of these accusations, pointing to the position of not only Germany but also France and England on this issue. “Israel currently bears the burden of being publicly shamed for committing genocide,” he said. He received support from Ceder, who said there was ‘in fact’ no question of genocide. ‘What happened here could not have happened. The Netherlands must speak up about this.’
Bruins Slot answered that the Netherlands as hosts had a neutral position. He said that the Netherlands may be able to submit an opinion to the court later – as happened in the Gambia v Myanmar case – but this can only be done after both parties have submitted all documents in the case, which could take up to a year. to survive.
There is no verdict yet
D66 and the left-wing opposition were angry at the minister’s answer to their question about whether the Netherlands would respect the court’s interim decision, which is expected to be issued in the coming weeks – and adapt its own policies to it. Bruins Slot initially said that he found it ‘tricky to anticipate a tentative decision, because it hasn’t been made yet’.
After an angry reaction from left-wing opposition parties, the minister clarified that the Netherlands was not a direct party to the case, but that the court’s decision was binding on South Africa and Israel and that they had to follow it ‘of course’. Regarding the possible consequences of the Dutch policy, he said: ‘We are not part of the procedure.’
“It depends on what the International Court of Justice says to what extent this will also impact the way other countries have to comply with their obligations. But whether and how it works, we first need that statement. And of course we will see the consequences of that statement, also from a diplomatic point of view.’
‘Very surprised’
Kati Piri (GroenLinks-PvdA) declared himself ‘very disappointed’ that the outgoing cabinet still does not support a permanent ceasefire, which according to Bruins Slot, is impossible as Hamas and Hezbollah still want to continue fighting. He was also ‘very surprised’ by the government’s response to the High Court’s imminent ‘interim order’. He also said that his group would ‘prefer to see the Netherlands support South Africa on this issue’.
His plea fell on deaf ears to Caspar Veldkamp of the New Social Contract (NSC). He emphasized that his party attaches great importance to international law, but does not want to prejudice the court’s decision. He also argued that international law experts ‘differ in opinion as to the extent to which interim decisions bind third parties’.
The NSC, like other opposition parties, has questions about its decision-making and information provision regarding Dutch support for US and UK military action against Houthi targets used to target international cargo ships. Bruins Slot said the DPR had not been notified in advance of ‘non-operational support’ for the move following a request from the US, as it would ‘endanger lives’.
When asked, he said that the decision regarding Dutch support was taken by himself and the Minister of Defense, and that all cabinet members had been informed beforehand.
“Hipster-friendly creator. Music guru. Proud student. Bacon buff. Avid web lover. Social media specialist. Gamer.”
