Netherlands–Palestine Relations
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Netherlands–Palestine relations refers to the relationship between
Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
and Palestine. Netherlands does not recognize Palestine. Netherlands supports a
two-state solution The two-state solution is a proposed approach to resolving the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, by creating two states on the territory of the former Mandatory Palestine. It is often contrasted with the one-state solution, which is the esta ...
to the Israel-Palestine conflict. The Palestine mission in the Netherlands is located in
The Hague The Hague ( ) is the capital city of the South Holland province of the Netherlands. With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. Situated on the west coast facing the North Sea, The Hague is the c ...
.


History

The Dutch representative office in the occupied Palestinian territories was opened in
Jericho Jericho ( ; , ) is a city in the West Bank, Palestine, and the capital of the Jericho Governorate. Jericho is located in the Jordan Valley, with the Jordan River to the east and Jerusalem to the west. It had a population of 20,907 in 2017. F ...
in 1994. It was moved to the city of
Al-Bireh Al-Bireh, al-Birah, or el-Bira (; also known historically as Castrum Mahomeria, Magna Mahomeria, Mahomeria Major, Birra, or Beirothah) is a city in the central West Bank, north of Jerusalem. It is the capital of the Ramallah and al-Bireh Gove ...
in 1996. In November 2014, Bert Koenders, Foreign Minister of Netherlands, said that Netherlands would not recognize Palestine as it believed it would not help the peace process. Netherlands had provided funding for
United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees United may refer to: Places * United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community * United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community Arts and entertainment Films * ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film * ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two f ...
(UNRWA). The
Party for Freedom The Party for Freedom ( , PVV) is a right-wing populist, far-right political party in the Netherlands. Geert Wilders is the founder, party leader, and sole registered member of the party. Founded in 2006 as the successor to Wilders' one-ma ...
, under the leadership of
Geert Wilders Geert Wilders (born 6 September 1963) is a Dutch politician who has led the far-right Party for Freedom (PVV) since he founded it in 2006. He is also the party's leader in the House of Representatives. Wilders is best known for his right-wing p ...
, emerged victorious in the
legislative elections A general election is an electoral process to choose most or all members of a governing body at the same time. They are distinct from by-elections, which fill individual seats that have become vacant between general elections. General elections ...
of November 2023, securing approximately 23 percent of the total votes cast. In 2010, Wilders stated that the
two-state solution The two-state solution is a proposed approach to resolving the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, by creating two states on the territory of the former Mandatory Palestine. It is often contrasted with the one-state solution, which is the esta ...
had already been put into action, arguing that there has been a Palestinian state in
Jordan Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and Israel and the occupied Palestinian ter ...
since 1946. He also maintained that it is Jordan's responsibility to welcome and accept all Palestinian refugees who wish to reside there willingly. He called for Jordan to be renamed Palestine. Wilders reiterated his position after the win. Mark Rutte, Prime Minister of Netherlands, invited Mahmoud Abbas, President of Palestine, to discuss the
Gaza war The Gaza war is an armed conflict in the Gaza Strip and southern Israel fought since 7 October 2023. A part of the unresolved Israeli–Palestinian conflict, Israeli–Palestinian and Gaza–Israel conflict, Gaza–Israel conflicts dating ...
. Dutch human rights organization sued their government for supplying Israel with military parts during the conflict alleging the parts were used for human rights violations. Half the population of Netherlands believe Palestinians live under apartheid in Israel according to a poll. Dutch parliament struggled to pass a motion to review aid to Palestinians.


References

Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...
Bilateral relations of Palestine {{StateofPalestine-stub