Dutch Foreign Minister Resigns After Failure to Impose Sanctions on Israel

The Dutch Foreign Minister Kaspar Veldkamp has resigned following a cabinet meeting that failed to establish sanctions against Israel, further weakening the country's already fragile temporary government, reports The Guardian.

Veldkamp's colleagues from the centrist "New Social Contract" (NSC) party have also left their positions after a debate on taking harsher measures against Israel reached an impasse late Friday evening.

Discussions on further actions against Israel began after the Netherlands joined 20 other countries in signing a joint declaration on Thursday condemning Israel's plans to build illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank. Critics point out that the planned settlement, consisting of 3,400 homes, would divide the area in two.

In July, the Netherlands had banned the entry of Israeli far-right ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich into the country. Following Friday's meeting, Veldkamp, a former ambassador to Israel, stated to Dutch news agency ANP that he "lacked sufficient opportunities to take significant additional measures." In his resignation announcement, he remarked, "We live in unprecedented times of geopolitical tension, where diplomacy is more crucial than ever."