Emma³³ 🩵

The bilateral relationship between the Netherlands and Israel, which goes back many years, is characterised by an open and honest dialogue. Today, in that spirit, I had an introductory telephone call with the President of Israel, @Isaac_Herzog. We spoke at length about recent developments in Iran and Lebanon, regional stability and the Dutch government’s grave concerns in this regard. I expressed my condolences on the loss of innocent Israeli civilian lives in Iranian attacks and stressed the importance of preventing further civilian casualties on both sides of the conflict. We recognize Israel's legitimate security concerns. At the same time, Lebanon's sovereignty and territorial integrity are beyond question. We are deeply concerned about the humanitarian situation in Lebanon, particularly now that more than a million people have been forced to flee. I emphasised that the humanitarian situation in Gaza must improve and that all border crossings must be opened to allow much-needed aid to reach the Palestinian population. I called on Israel not to introduce the registration requirement for international NGOs. In addition we discussed the situation in the West Bank and the unacceptable violence being perpetrated by settlers. Furthermore, I emphasised that the introduction of the death penalty by Israel is unacceptable to the Netherlands and other EU countries. Obviously, we also reflected on the importance of combating antisemitism in the Netherlands following the recent incidents in Rotterdam and Amsterdam.