Dutch Ex-FM Warns Netanyahu's Gaza Policy Threatens Israel's Future

Caspar Veldkamp, who resigned as the Netherlands’ foreign minister on Friday, sharply criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s handling of the war in Gaza, warning that Israel’s government is jeopardizing both the country’s safety and its international standing.

“As a friend of Israel, I believe that I must now warn that the military operation in Gaza City and the current actions of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet are harmful to Israel’s security and ultimately to Israel’s identity,” Veldkamp told Channel 12 in an interview aired Sunday.

Veldkamp, who previously served as the Dutch ambassador to Israel between 2011 and 2015, stepped down after failing to rally support within the EU for new sanctions against Jerusalem. His proposal had included a ban on imports from Israeli settlements in response to Israel’s planned military offensive in Gaza.

Channel 12 reported that the former foreign minister stressed the urgency of ending the war, noting that it has shifted from being “defensive and justified” in the wake of Hamas’s October 7, 2023 massacre, to something that no longer serves Israel’s long-term interests.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (Photo: Chaim Goldberg / Flash90)

“I attach great importance to Israel’s security and future, but I disagree with the current government’s policy and conduct in Gaza. The war must end,” he said.

He also argued that Israel’s leadership has lost credibility abroad. “The Netanyahu government has definitely lost its legitimacy in the eyes of the world,” he was quoted as saying, while emphasizing that his criticism comes despite his own consistent efforts “to exert additional European pressure on Hamas” and to advocate for the release of Israeli hostages.

Despite his resignation, Veldkamp expressed personal solidarity with Israelis, calling the country “a creative, free, and inspiring society in many ways.”

Explaining his decision to quit, he told reporters that he could not remain in office while unable “to implement policy myself and chart the course I deem necessary.”