ISTANBUL

The Dutch caretaker government will maintain its current policy toward Israel after a parliamentary debate on Thursday failed to produce additional measures, despite calls from several opposition parties to increase pressure on Tel Aviv over its actions in Gaza.

Lawmakers from the GreenLeft–Labour alliance (GL-PvdA), D66, Socialist Party (SP), DENK, Party for the Animals (PvdD), and Volt returned from summer recess to demand stronger steps, including sanctioning the entire Israeli government, imposing a full arms embargo, restricting trade with illegal settlements, and recognizing the Palestinian state.

SP lawmaker Sarah Dobbe dismissed the government’s existing actions as “sham solutions,” arguing that they have had no tangible effect, Dutch online newspaper NU reported.

Last week, caretaker Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp announced that two extremist Israeli ministers were barred from entering the Netherlands, summoned the Israeli ambassador, and tightened restrictions on arms exports.

For broader sanctions, Veldkamp said the government was working through the EU, advocating for the suspension of the association agreement with Israel, which would remove certain trade benefits.

However, such a move requires unanimous approval from member states, a prospect he acknowledged is unattainable due to opposition from countries including Hungary, Italy, and Germany.

Government parties VVD, NSC, and BBB, along with the Christian Union, back Veldkamp’s approach. VVD lawmaker Eric van der Burg said there are no “effective” measures available at the national level, a stance that drew sharp criticism from MPs pushing for tougher action.

D66’s Jan Paternotte compared the situation to sanctions against Russia, accusing the VVD of failing to show similar resolve.

GL-PvdA’s Kati Piri charged that the VVD offered “no concrete measure” despite claiming to want to stop the war.

In a notable shift, the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) said it now supports recognizing the Palestinian state under certain conditions, including acting jointly with other countries, ensuring no role for Hamas, and holding free elections.

Derk Boswijk, a CDA MP, faced strong opposition from BBB, SGP, NSC, and the Christian Union regarding his proposal, which they called purely “symbolic.”

The caretaker Cabinet has no plans to recognize Palestine, unlike France and the UK, which have indicated they intend to do so.