Will the Netherlands fall? The coalition fell apart, the prime minister announces the debate

After the resignation of all ministers of the party, the new social agreement (NSC) Technical Prime Minister of the Netherlands Dick Schoof stated that the other ruling groups (two) must consider the further functioning of the office.

Next week, the parliament will conduct a debate about the consequences of the crisis.

The Technical Prime Minister of the Netherlands Dick Schoof said on Friday evening in parliament that the government must find a way to continue functioning after all ministers and secretaries of the state from the party new social contract (NSC) left the office. This decision was a consequence of the resignation of the head of diplomacy Caspar Veldkamp and the dispute in the coalition for new sanctions against Israel.

“We must respect these decisions, although we regret them very much, especially in the context of the responsibility that the government is borne in this phase of resignation,” said Schoof in the lower parliament chamber. He added that the office “intensively dealt with the situation in gas”, but it was not possible to develop a common position between coalition partners.

The conflict in the government broke out when the NSC demanded sharper actions against Israel, including the introduction of a ban on importing products from illegal housing estates in the west bank. The People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) and the Farmer-Citizen Movement (BBB) ​​did not accept these proposals. According to NSC, the partners blocked the necessary actions, while VVD and BBB accused Veldkamp of premature breaking of negotiations.

The departure of NSC took place two months after the party for freedom (PVV) of Geert Wilders withdrew from the office. As a result, the Schoof government, which was established only a year ago, currently consists of only VVD and BBB representatives and has only 32 seats in a 150-person lower chamber. “This is not only a study in the resignation, it is a government even more dependent on the ad hoc majority in parliament,” Dutch political analysts comment.

The debate about the situation in gas and the future of the government is temporarily continued by the defense minister Ruben Brekelmans (VVD), who took over the duties of Veldkamp. Voting on the opposition's conclusions regarding the policy towards Israel showed a clear division – most MPs supported the position that Hamas should be completely destroyed, but rejected the proposal of a boycott of products from Israeli housing estates or the recognition of the Palestinian state.

Most of the House of Representatives believe that “the Islamic terrorist organization Hamas must be completely destroyed” and should not “play any role” in the future. In addition, the parliamentary majority in voting after a turbulent debate on the situation in Israel and the Gaza Strip decided that the countries “protecting” Hamas leaders, such as Türkiye or Qatar, should be subjected to maximum pressure.

The parliament is to carry out a debate on the consequences of the NSC output from the government and the future of the office next week. As commentators emphasize, the Netherlands found itself in an unprecedented situation – never before in the history of the country the whole group has not left the government in its resignation.

From Hagi Patryk Kulpok (PAP)

PMK/ MMS/