Dutch Government Plunged into Crisis as Foreign Minister Resigns Over Israel Sanctions

THE HAGUE, Netherlands – The Dutch government has been thrown into disarray after Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp resigned, citing his cabinet's failure to back new sanctions against Israel. The resignation, announced late Friday, has triggered a political crisis, with all ministers from his New Social Contract (NSC) party quitting in a show of solidarity.

Veldkamp, a former ambassador to Israel, had been pushing for stronger measures in response to the escalating humanitarian crisis in Gaza. His proposals reportedly included a ban on imports from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. However, his efforts were met with a deadlock from his coalition partners within the caretaker government, which has been in place since a previous coalition collapsed in June.

In a statement, Veldkamp explained that he felt "insufficiently able to take meaningful additional measures" and could no longer "chart the course I deem necessary." The NSC party released a statement supporting their minister, accusing coalition partners like the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) and the populist Farmer-Citizen Movement (BBB) of refusing to "acknowledge the alarming situation [in Gaza] and take necessary action."

The mass resignation of NSC ministers leaves key government ministries without leadership and further destabilizes the Netherlands' fragile political landscape just months before a general election scheduled for October.

The political fallout comes amid a backdrop of intense international pressure and a deepening crisis in the Middle East. Earlier on Friday, a UN-backed body officially declared that famine had taken hold in Gaza City, a development described by the UN Secretary-General as a "man-made disaster." Veldkamp's resignation highlights the growing internal divisions within European nations over how to respond to the conflict, with some countries advocating for a tougher stance while others, like Germany, remain more cautious.

While the Dutch government has previously imposed some limited sanctions—such as a travel ban on two far-right Israeli ministers and the revocation of export permits for certain navy ship components—Veldkamp's failed bid for broader sanctions signals a significant internal impasse. The crisis leaves the Netherlands rudderless on a critical foreign policy issue and its political future uncertain.