Dutch foreign minister Caspar Veldkamp has said it is important not to lose sight of the wars in Gaza and Ukraine, even as the European Union works towards a diplomatic solution to the escalating conflict between Iran and Israel.
Veldkamp was speaking to reporters in Brussels ahead of Monday’s meeting of foreign ministers, where the US bombing of Iran and a Dutch proposal concerning Israel’s status in the EU will be discussed.
The Dutch proposal involves examining whether Israel is breaching the terms of its association agreement with the EU, due to its actions in Gaza.
Veldkamp spearheaded the initiative in a letter to the European Commission a month ago, calling for a formal review of the EU-Israel Association Agreement. Domestically, the move is seen as the Dutch government’s strongest criticism of Israel since the start of the Gaza bombardment.
The agreement covers areas including political dialogue, agriculture and the free movement of goods. Observers said the review would focus on Israel’s compliance with the agreement’s human rights clause.
“This is not meant as a punishment, but to achieve something on the ground,” Veldkamp said on Monday. “I am still working for a ceasefire in Gaza. That is the best way to get humanitarian aid in on a massive scale, to free the remaining hostages and to end the conflict.”
Veldkamp also expressed concern about waning attention for the war in Ukraine. “If all the focus is on Iran, the war on our own continent risks being forgotten,” he said. “It has a direct impact on our own safety…We must also increase the pressure of sanctions on Russia, and we are going to discuss that today as well.”
Meanwhile, around 70 Dutch soldiers stationed in Iraq have reached Jordan and will be flown back to the Netherlands, the defence ministry said on Monday. They were caught in the fallout from the Iran-Israel conflict.
The soldiers were in Iraq as part of a Nato mission, which ends this month. Another 75 Dutch troops will return at a later date, the ministry added.
Airspace over Iraq has been closed since Israel launched attacks on Iranian nuclear sites more than a week ago.
Bombing reactions
The caretaker Dutch government has refused to be drawn on whether it supports the American decision to bomb nuclear installations in Iran, but said it is “of the greatest importance” that Iran never acquires nuclear weapons.
Speaking after an emergency meeting of the Dutch National Security Council on Sunday, prime minister Dick Schoof urged Iran to return to the negotiating table.
“Iran must never become a nuclear weapons state. We note that Israel and the US do not accept the nuclear threat posed by Iran,” Schoof said in a statement. “The Netherlands calls on Iran to return to the negotiating table without delay, as negotiations are the only path to a lasting solution. De-escalation is of the utmost importance for stability in the region.”
