Amsterdam (TDI): The Netherlands already fragile caretaker government faces a fresh crisis as Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp resigned yesterday, following a failed push to secure sanctions against Israel over its military actions in Gaza and settlement plans in the West Bank.
A prominent member of the center‑right New Social Contract (NSC) party, Veldkamp, also a former ambassador to Israel, had proposed additional measures, including an import ban on goods from Israeli settlements, describing them as “necessary” to respond to a deteriorating humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Despite widespread domestic and international concern, with the United Nations having officially declared famine in Gaza City, his proposals met stiff resistance from coalition partners, notably the People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) and the Farmer–Citizen Movement (BBB).
After a tense cabinet meeting, Veldkamp concluded he lacked the “room for manoevre” to implement meaningful policy and stepped down in protest.
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His departure triggered a broader exodus: all NSC ministers and state secretaries followed suit, vacating key positions in Social Affairs, Interior, Education, Health, Legal Protection, Taxes, Allowances, and Foreign Trade.
Prime Minister Dick Schoof, whose caretaker cabinet has governed in a demissionary capacity since the collapse triggered by Geert Wilders’ PVV in June, expressed regret over the NSC’s departure but acknowledged the challenge of managing a government now stripped to VVD and BBB members.
The upheaval compounds a volatile political landscape as the Netherlands heads to snap elections on October 29. With the cabinet further weakened and major ministries left leaderless, the government’s ability to respond to the Gaza crisis and manage day‑to‑day affairs has been significantly hampered.
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