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NEW YORK: The Netherlands, long one of Israel\u2019s closest allies in Europe, is building an international coalition to medically evacuate at least 1,000 sick and injured children from Gaza as its relationship with the Israeli government reaches a low point over the war, the Dutch minister for foreign trade and development cooperation told Arab News.<\/p>\n
Speaking on the sidelines of the 81st UN General Assembly in New York, Sjoerd Sjoerdsma said the scale of suffering among Gaza\u2019s children left his government with no choice but to act.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u201cThe amount of children in Gaza who are injured or sick is staggering and it\u2019s inhumane,\u201d he added. \u201cIt\u2019s unacceptable that aid isn\u2019t reaching these children. That\u2019s why we must bring those children to their treatment.\u201d<\/p>\n
He struck the same note at a \u201cCall to Action for Palestinian Children\u201d hosted by the EU, Belgium and Jordan on Wednesday, where he condemned Israel\u2019s restrictions on aid. \u201cWe should call it as it is, it\u2019s a disgrace,\u201d he told delegates.<\/p>\n
The Dutch cabinet has announced a \u20ac12 million ($13.6 million) package for urgent medical care for sick children from Gaza, including the evacuation of 250 seriously ill and injured children to Jordan for treatment.<\/p>\n
The Netherlands will work with the World Health Organization, and its \u20ac6 million share will fund the evacuations under an initiative launched by Jordan\u2019s King Abdullah II in early 2025 to treat 2,000 children from Gaza.<\/p>\n
The need far outstrips the effort. According to WHO, 18,500 patients are awaiting medical evacuation from Gaza, and whether the Dutch-funded transfers go ahead also depends on Israel granting permission.<\/p>\n
For many Palestinians, evacuation raises a deeper fear: that those who leave will never be allowed back. \u201cI understand this fear completely, and this is why I\u2019m also here in New York,\u201d Sjoerdsma said.<\/p>\n
The aim is to get at least 1,000 children out, ideally by the end of the week, he added, while building \u201ca diplomatic coalition to ensure \u2026 that those children don\u2019t only get out for medical treatment, but they can also rejoin their family and friends back home in Gaza.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Hague argues that treatment in the region is the more humane option. Sjoerdsma said the choice is simple when for every Gazan child treated in the Netherlands, 40 or 50 can be treated in Jordan.<\/p>\n
The Hague is also pressing Israel to reopen the medical corridor to the West Bank, where roughly 90 Gazan patients a day received specialist treatment before October 2023.<\/p>\n
Sjoerdsma placed responsibility for the crisis squarely on Israel: \u201cWe\u2019ve seen a tremendous catastrophe unfold in Gaza, and this isn\u2019t a natural disaster. This is being done by the Israeli government.\u201d<\/p>\n
That conviction, he said, has pushed the Netherlands to take a \u201cfrontrunner\u2019s role\u201d within the EU in trying to halt the Israeli government\u2019s actions.<\/p>\n
On Tuesday, the Netherlands banned the import, purchase and sale of goods from illegal Israeli settlements.<\/p>\n
The Dutch ban goes further than some others, also covering services that facilitate the trade and attempts to circumvent it.<\/p>\n
Its reach extends beyond the Dutch market because the Netherlands is a major gateway for goods entering Europe.<\/p>\n
More than 10 other countries are now following the Dutch lead, Sjoerdsma said, and The Hague is pushing to freeze the trade part of the EU-Israel Association Agreement.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnfortunately, we don\u2019t have a majority here yet,\u201d he added. \u201cWe really want to make sure that international law, international humanitarian law and Palestinian lives are put right front and center.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He and Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen are working \u201cin tandem\u201d to persuade their European counterparts.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe time for just words is over. We also need actions, and we need actions to ensure that the Israeli government reconsiders its course,\u201d Sjoerdsma said, stressing that the dispute is with the country\u2019s leaders, not its people.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re great friends with the Israeli population. We care for their security, but with their government we have major problems.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mending ties, he said, depends on four things. \u201cIsrael needs to adhere to international law, to international humanitarian law. It needs to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza unhindered. It needs to cease its settlement activity on the West Bank. And it needs to show a constructive attitude to the two-state solution, to show that a Palestinian state and an Israeli state can exist side by side.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Netherlands was not among the Western countries that recognized Palestine around last year\u2019s high-level conference on the two-state solution co-chaired by Saudi Arabia and France.<\/p>\n
The Dutch government\u2019s position is that recognition must serve the political process, with the parties negotiating toward a secure Israel and a viable Palestinian state. The question is \u201chotly debated\u201d in parliament, which remains divided, Sjoerdsma said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBut where we aren\u2019t divided, neither the cabinet nor the parliament, is that we need to do everything we can to make sure that international law is being restored and that Palestinians are getting the help they need. When lives are on the line, this is what we must do.\u201d<\/p>\n
The shift in The Hague has tracked a transformation in Dutch society. An Ipsos I&O survey in September 2025 found that 58 percent of Dutch respondents wanted their government to be more critical of Israel and take more action against it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The mood has reached cultural life too: Public broadcaster AVROTROS did not take part in or broadcast the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest because of the war in Gaza.<\/p>\n
For Sjoerdsma, that shift is the message he is carrying to Israeli officials. \u201cI think it shows a fundamental shift in Dutch public opinion as to our relationship with the Israeli government,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is also what I\u2019m telling our Israeli colleagues: Please help us renew our friendship. Change your course.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n