Dutch migrant party boycotts Israel commemoration in parliament

Dutch migrant party DENK boycotted a commemorative event in parliament for the victims of the recent Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel after Palestinian victims were not included.

Outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte (VVD/Renew) invited Israeli Ambassador Modi Ephraim to the event, which was attended by all parliamentary groups except DENK and the one-person faction of BIJ1, whose founder and only MP Sylvana Simons used to belong to DENK.

“The conflict is broader than just Israel’s casualties,” a spokesperson for DENK told Dutch paper De Telegraaf.

“There have also been deaths in Gaza, right? Don’t those mothers count? Don’t those women count?” he asked.

The party stated that its absence was motivated by the fact that Palestinian victims were not commemorated during the event, despite the party sending a formal request to parliamentary speaker Vera Bergkamp. It also took exception to the fact that the commemoration was initiated by Freedom Party leader Geert Wilders (PVV/ID), who is staunchly pro-Israel and anti-migration.

On X, the party denied reports stating that it was absent from the event as a sign of protest.

DENK had previously already clashed with Prime Minister Rutte over his reaction to the events in Israel, with party leader Stephan van Baarle criticising that the raising of the Israeli flag at government buildings does not contribute to de-escalation. He also called on Rutte to label Israel’s move to cut access to water, electricity and food in the Gaza Strip as a war crime, which the latter refused.

Sole BIJ1 MP and former DENK member Sylvana Simons, who will be leaving politics following the upcoming parliamentary elections in November, was also absent during the commemoration event.

Her party’s lead candidate for the upcoming elections, Edson Olf, caused a stir over the weekend after he blamed the Netherlands and the EU for the events unfolding in Israel due to their longstanding support for the country.

Green/Labour divisions over Israel

Meanwhile, former EU climate chief and lead candidate for the joint list of GroenLinks (GL/EU Greens) and the Labour Party (PvdA/S&D), Frans Timmermans, got into hot water within his own party for his remarks concerning the situation in Israel.

Following Timmermans’ condemnation of Hamas, the conflict may come to a head next Saturday when both parties will hold a joint congress in the leadup to next month’s national elections.

(Benedikt Stöckl | Euractiv.com)