Ex-ministers and diplomats urge tougher action against Israel

More than 230 former Dutch ministers, ambassadors, diplomats and civil servants have called on the cabinet to take far tougher measures against Israel, including a full arms embargo and the suspension of the European Union’s trade agreement with the country.

The appeal comes as the Netherlands prepares to enforce its ban on settlement goods on September 22.

That measure led Israel to expel two Dutch officials from the US-backed Gaza ceasefire centre last week. The signatories say steps of this kind fall far short of what the situation demands.

Those who signed include former Amsterdam mayor Job Cohen, former foreign minister Jozias van Aartsen, former Rotterdam mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb, former development minister Jan Pronk and former defence minister Joris Voorhoeve.

According to NRC, the signatories held office for the Labour party (PvdA), the Christian Democrats (CDA) and the right-wing liberal VVD.

In the letter, the group calls for a complete arms embargo, the suspension of the EU-Israel trade agreement, and an investigation into possible involvement in international crimes by Dutch nationals and by Israelis living in the Netherlands who have served in the Israeli army.

The Netherlands already restricts some military exports to Israel. The signatories want measures that, in their words, match the scale of the violations taking place.

One of the signatories, former diplomat Angélique Eijpe, who left the foreign ministry over its stance on Gaza, said government policy had barely shifted. “We had cautiously hoped the Jetten cabinet would choose a different course,” she told broadcaster NOS in Dutch. “We see steps that mainly have a symbolic impact but do not bring about a change in behaviour.”

It is not the first such appeal – some of the same figures called for international intervention in Gaza a year ago, following a similar call earlier in 2025.

Eijpe said the group did not expect the letter to change policy overnight. “But the situation is so serious that we consider it necessary to keep putting it on the radar,” she told NOS.