#Netherlands "The government makes support for the most basic human principles conditional on the political desires of the Israeli government,"
Why did the Netherlands abstain in the UN ceasefire resolution on #Gaza on October 23? Or rather, why did it even consider voting against the ceasefire in the first place (knowing full well the humanitarian implications of Israel's unlawful #DahiyaDoctrine applied in Gaza)... and what did #Jordan and #Ukraine have to do with it?
[...] Later that day, a large majority of UN member states voted in favor of a resolution calling for the "immediate" and "sustainable" cessation of hostilities between #Israel and #Hamas, in order to enable a "humanitarian truce." 120 countries voted in favor of the resolution, fourteen countries - including the United States - voted against. The Netherlands was part of a group of 45 countries that abstained from voting. Other European countries, including France, Spain, Belgium and Luxembourg, supported the resolution.
[...] The Dutch abstention in New York caused outrage in the Netherlands in recent days. "The government makes support for the most basic human principles conditional on the political desires of the Israeli government," Save the Children said. On X, formerly Twitter, parliament member Sjoerd Sjoerdsma of the ruling #D66 party called the Dutch abstention "shameful."
[...] On Monday morning, Prime Minister Rutte flies to Tel Aviv. After his meeting with #netanyahu he speaks of a "firm discussion." Rutte has urged the Israeli prime minister to get emergency aid going and prevent military violence from getting out of hand. A ceasefire was not brought up by him - there is no point in talking to the Israelis about it, is Rutte's thought.
[...] The next day, the ministers most involved gather in the so-called National Security Council (NVR). Minister of Foreign Affairs Hanke Bruins Slot (CDA) is abroad, but Prime Minister Rutte and the other ministers agree: Israel has the right to defend itself, but international humanitarian law must be guiding. In other words: Israel cannot cause unnecessary high numbers of civilian casualties. It is a message that Rutte stoically defends during a parliamentary debate on Tuesday evening - despite the fact that mainly left-wing parties in parliament call on the prime minister to explicitly advocate a ceasefire.
[...] Because of all these objections, the officials write, the choice is abstention or voting against. At that point, the Netherlands is "tending towards" a "no vote."
[...] In the days leading up to the vote, Minister Hanke Bruins Slot receives a phone call from her Jordanian counterpart Ayman Safadi. The Jordanian minister says the draft resolution has been amended on several points to accommodate Western countries. For example, October 7 is explicitly mentioned and the new text condemns "all violence against Palestinian and Israeli citizens, including all terrorist acts." The term "immediate ceasefire" has also been replaced by a "sustained humanitarian truce."
[...] Safadi asks the Netherlands to support the resolution. And the Jordanian minister adds a barely veiled threat: if European countries do not rally behind this, support from Arab countries for aid to Ukraine will become "difficult," an official writes.
[...] Meanwhile, concerns are growing at the Dutch mission in New York about the negative consequences of a Dutch 'no'. A no vote on "such an urgent and important dossier" will not be "quickly forgotten" by many non-Western countries, a diplomat writes in an email to The Hague. Europe is often accused in the so-called Global South of double standards: taking firm action against Russia's war crimes, but weak knees when it comes to Israel. The Dutch mission believes it is wiser for European countries to abstain: a "joint abstention - but especially as few no votes as possible - (...) [is] important (...) for the credibility of the EU."
[...] The Netherlands decides to abstain from voting - as do many other European countries. France does vote in favor of the motion. “That the Netherlands did not even consider voting in favor is very strange,” D66 spokesperson Sjoerdsma says in response. “It also does not mean that the Netherlands is now exempted from working towards a humanitarian ceasefire, releasing the hostages and providing more aid. The resolution has been adopted, and the UN has spoken.”
[...] Kati Piri of GroenLinks-PvdA calls it "appalling" that the government considered voting against, "thereby completely ignoring the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza." There is also resentment among the D66 ministers. D66 ministers Ernst Kuipers and Robbert Dijkgraaf said on Monday in the TV program Beau that they disagree with the cabinet's assessment. “If you had asked me personally, I would have voted in favor, with an explanation,” says Kuipers.
Dutch: https://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2023/10/31/hoe-vn-resolutie-het-kabinet-verdeelt-a4179273
See related: https://kolektiva.social/@oatmeal/111410722042361697
@israel
@palestine
#IsraelHamasWar
#WareCrimes
#DahiyaDoctrine
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Michael Plawner
Miro Collas