Veldkamp himself became more critical of Israel, but ran into walls at home and abroad

The foreign minister who long believed that only talking to Israel was worthwhile is finally resigning because he cannot impose additional sanctions against the country. This demonstrates the diplomatic metamorphosis that Caspar Veldkamp (NSC) has undergone in recent months.

On Friday evening, after hours of feverish deliberations in the Cabinet, Veldkamp announced his resignation and immediate resignation, along with the other NSC ministers. Veldkamp said he has "insufficient confidence" that he will be given "the space in the coming weeks, months, or even a year to chart the course I deem necessary."

The dramatic step by Veldkamp and his NSC colleagues comes at the end of a week in which disagreement over Israel policy became openly visible within the caretaker coalition government. Veldkamp said Thursday, before a new parliamentary debate on the catastrophe in Gaza, that he considered "more measures" against Israel necessary due to the ongoing attack on Gaza City and the announcement of the construction of thousands of additional homes in settlements in the occupied West Bank.

However, in the parliamentary debate on Thursday evening, he could not promise that his colleagues in the cabinet thought the same and that the additional sanctions would also be introduced on Friday.

On Friday, it emerged that Veldkamp had spoken out of turn and had to back down. The minister spoke of "resistance" in several recent cabinet meetings from his other coalition partners, the BBB and, to a lesser extent, the VVD.

Embittered

Veldkamp had experienced "insufficient support" in the cabinet meeting on Friday to take "meaningful measures" against Israel. A plan to impose a national ban on trade with illegal Israeli settlements was on the table. Veldkamp wanted to present such a sanction, but claimed he received insufficient support – although the VVD and BBB parties stated that discussions on the matter were still ongoing.

Coalition partner VVD had requested a European ban in the parliamentary debate on Thursday, but Veldkamp believed that this could take too long.

Veldkamp sounded somewhat bitter on Friday when he spoke about "the unfair criticism" he received in the House of Representatives from the left-wing opposition and civil society organizations. "As if I have no conscience." While the NSC minister himself believed he had been "leading the way" for months in both the European Union and the caretaker government in securing additional measures against Israel.

During his time as minister, Veldkamp undeniably underwent a transformation in his attitude toward Israel. The minister, who earlier in his career served for many years as ambassador to Tel Aviv, took office in July of last year, nine months after the Hamas terrorist attack on October 7, 2023, and the start of the Gaza war. In his first year as minister, Veldkamp, ​​in line with his predecessors in Rutte IV, opted for a diplomatic approach to the Netanyahu government. Addressing Israel behind the scenes, and sometimes openly condemning it, would be the best way to achieve results, Veldkamp reiterated in interviews and parliamentary debates.

However, this approach failed to produce visible results. And when Israel unilaterally broke a ceasefire in March of this year and resumed the relentless bombardment of Gaza, a change was visible in Veldkamp. In April, he summoned the Israeli ambassador for the first time, after fifteen Palestinian aid workers were murdered by the Israeli army. And in May, he advocated in Europe for an investigation into the suspension of the EU Association Agreement with Israel, which transformed the Netherlands from one of the least critical EU countries into one with a fairly strict line.

Veldkamp continued to encounter problems in both Brussels and The Hague. The EU investigation into Israeli crimes in Gaza, which Veldkamp requested, was launched, but remained without consequences at the first subsequent EU meetings. Suspending trade benefits requires a majority of member states within the EU, which was not forthcoming because countries like Germany considered such a step too far.

Veldkamp faced difficulties in the governing coalition from the outset. Due to the PVV's participation in the Schoof cabinet, the two-state solution was not mentioned in the general policy agreement, even though the Netherlands officially continued to pursue it. However, PVV leader Geert Wilders, who unconditionally supports Israel and opposes a Palestinian state, openly opposed Veldkamp for a long time. For example, Wilders called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli ministers directly, which is diplomatically unusual, and visited an illegal Israeli settlement at the end of last year, even though the Netherlands opposes settlement policy.

The PVV's departure from the cabinet in early June created some political space for a more critical stance toward Israel. Veldkamp imposed national sanctions against Israel for the first time at the end of last month by declaring far-right ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir (National Security) and Bezalel Smotrich (Finance) persona non grata. For the left-wing opposition, this was far from enough. Veldkamp was constantly told that as a minister, he was doing far too little to prevent genocide in Gaza. The left-wing parties accused him of not yet having a full arms embargo and a ban on trade with the settlements.

But Veldkamp was caught between a rock and a hard place, as a right-wing parliamentary majority was wary of overly harsh sanctions against ally Israel, including the coalition parties of his own NSC, the VVD, and BBB. And so, Veldkamp ultimately found himself stuck, both internationally and nationally, when it came to a tougher approach to Israel. The Netherlands, at least, is not doing well internationally. While the destruction in Gaza continues unabated, political divisions paralyze the caretaker government, and one thing is certain: the Palestinians have received no help whatsoever.