Foreign minister Maxime Verhagen told MPs on Wednesday he was ‘amazed’ at Israel’s plans to build 900 new homes at Gilo, a Jewish settlement on the outskirts of east Jerusalem.

Verhagen, a known supporter of Israel, said the country is breaking international agreements and the move would do nothing to bring peace in the region closer, the Volkskrant said.
The minister said he hoped the EU and US would be able to persuade Israel to change its position on the new settlement.
Last week Verhagen held talks with Israel’s controversial foreign affairs minister Avigdor Lieberman in the Hague and urged Lieberman to stop the expansion of Jewish settlements in the occupied territories.
In October, the Netherlands joined the US and four other countries in voting against a UN motion condemning Israel’s actions during the recent Gaza war.