Broad Dutch Parliamentary Coalition Backs Motion to Suspend EU–Israel Trade Deal

FVD has voted for two motions put down in Parliament, which garnered a majority and were therefore carried, calling for the trade component of the EU-Israel association agreement to be suspended. The motions provoked a sharp reaction from the Israeli ambassador to the Netherlands. Ambassador Vapni deplored as ‘shameful’ ‘a dangerous coalition between the radical left and the antisemitic extreme right’. This is pretty standard-issue Israeli boilerplate – but it is false. One of the two motions was put down by an MP from the governing centre-left D66 party, which sits with Renew in the European Parliament, and an MP from the governing centre-right Christiand CDA, which sits with the European People’s Party. Both motions were supported by these two parties. So the ‘dangerous coalition’ is not between the radical left and the extreme right but also includes two eminently respectable centrist parties who are currently in government. It is precisely not the extremes alone which are criticising Israel but instead now parties from across the political spectrum.