David Van Weel

David Martijn van Weel (born 4 August 1976) is a Dutch diplomat, civil servant, and military veteran, who has been serving as Minister of Justice and Security in the Schoof cabinet since 2 July 2024. On 3 June 2025, van Weel also became acting Minister of Asylum and Migration upon the resignation of Marjolein Faber.

Career

Van Weel started his career with the Royal Netherlands Navy, where after graduating from the Naval Academy (1994–1999) he served on a number of different frigates, including with the British Royal Navy as an exchange officer. He worked as a Staff Officer for Middle and Eastern European countries in the Defence Staff and ended his term at the Navy as a Primarily Warfare Officer and Navigation Officer. Van Weel holds a degree in history.

Van Weel joined the Netherlands Ministry of Defence in 2004. He worked as a senior policy officer for operations in Afghanistan and Libya, and he coordinated policy on NATO, nuclear policy and disarmament, special operations, as well as the preparation of the Dutch defence budget. He later served as Chief of Cabinet for the Minister of Defence and the Permanent Secretary (2012–2014) and as Director for International Affairs and Operations/Policy Director (2014–2016).

Starting in 2016, Van Weel served as advisor on foreign affairs and defence to Prime Minister Mark Rutte. In 2020, he became Assistant Secretary General for Innovation, Cyber defence and Hybrid threats of NATO, under Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. Broadcaster NOS noted that Van Weel had more frequent public appearances following the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

After the PVV, VVD, NSC, and BBB formed the Schoof cabinet, Van Weel was sworn in as Minister of Justice and Security on 2 July 2024, succeeding Dilan Yeşilgöz. He is serving on behalf of the conservative-liberal People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), which he joined in 2018. Van Weel told that his priorities were to increase society's resilience in light of increased geopolitical tensions, to continue tackling subversive organized crime, and to increase trust in the rule of law. Responding to a clause in the coalition agreement, he said that he wanted to set limits on protests within the right to protest, citing highway blockades by the environmentalist movement Extinction Rebellion.

He was working on an approach to combat antisemitism when the November 2024 Amsterdam riots occurred, in which supporters of the Israeli football club Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C. were targeted. Van Weel postponed the presentation of his plan, scheduled a week after the attack, by a week to incorporate more recent suggestions. The strategy contained €4.5 million in yearly funding and a new task force to increase the safety of Jewish citizens. In addition, the cabinet reiterated its commitment to impose limits on demonstrations, to criminalize the glorification of terrorism, and to broaden the grounds for revoking the Dutch nationality from dual citizens.

Personal life

Van Weel and his family moved back to Rotterdam when he became a minister.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Weel, David van
NATO officials
1976 births
Living people
Dutch diplomats
University of Amsterdam alumni
Royal Netherlands Navy officers
Ministers of justice of the Netherlands