THE HAGUE - There will be no debate this week in the Tweede Kamer, the lower house of the Dutch parliament, regarding the situation in Gaza. SP and D66’s call for a debate did not garner enough support. This call was triggered by the caretaker Cabinet's decision to abstain from voting on a UN resolution calling for a humanitarian ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
The Tweede Kamer went into recess on Thursday night. If a majority of MPs supported the request for an emergency debate on the matter, members of the committee responsible for foreign affairs would have had to return from the recess to address the issue.
Parties such as VVD, CDA, PVV, FVD, BBB, and the ChristenUnie currently do not want a debate, as communicated through an email procedure. However, there will be a written round, which is particularly being pushed for by the CDA, so that parties can address questions to Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Foreign Affairs Minister Hanke Bruins Slot. A debate can still follow after this, said CDA MP Derk Boswijk. He noted that the ministers are abroad, and seeking written clarification might be faster.
SP MP Jasper van Dijk is "very disappointed" that the committee debate is not proceeding, especially since it was determined that the ministers could be present. D66 MP Sjoerd Sjoerdsma is more critical. "This was the moment for the Netherlands to break the silence. To support the swift implementation of the UN resolution on Gaza. For a ceasefire, the release of hostages, and more aid. It's very disappointing that parties like VVD and CDA are blocking a parliamentary debate," he wrote on X.
Boswijk responded strongly, "Stop this disgusting polarization, Sjoerd! I'm not blocking anything." According to Boswijk, a written round of questions might be less visible but often more substantive, especially as some parties, in his view, "like to put on a show. (Like you're doing now) And if there's still a need, we can have a physical debate as I've suggested. If you're a real man, you'd delete this tweet," the CDA member wrote on X.
