Dutch caretaker Foreign Minister David van Weel toured Kibbutz Nir Oz and met survivors of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack in the community on Thursday, the second day of his three-day visit to Israel.
“Kibbutz Nir Oz was the scene of a massacre as Hamas unleashed its terror on 7 October 2023. Over a quarter of its 400 residents were murdered or kidnapped—a true nightmare,” Van Weel tweeted.
The Netherlands’ top diplomat wrote he was “deeply moved” by the kibbutz’s resilience and “their drive to rebuild and achieve peace.”
Van Weel, who touched down at Ben-Gurion International Airport on Wednesday, is visiting for talks with top Israeli and Palestinian Authority officials. Discussions were to focus on advancing the U.S.-brokered Gaza ceasefire, humanitarian aid and regional peace.
According to the Dutch Foreign Ministry, Van Weel was set to meet with Israel’s President Isaac Herzog and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, and the P.A. Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa and Foreign Minister Varsen Aghabekian.
During talks with Aghabekian in Ramallah on Friday, Van Weel is expected to discuss developments in Judea and Samaria.
Van Weel, who serves as the European country’s caretaker FM on behalf of the centrist People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy, arrived days after the left-wing Democrats 66 party won the Oct. 29 Dutch election.
D66 leader Rob Jetten has told local media that he intends to build a center-left coalition, but he would likely need support of the People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy to reach a majority in parliament.
During the election campaign, the Democrats 66 leader slammed the outgoing government’s failure to agree on additional sanctions against Israel, and in May he participated in a protest calling to stop the Jewish state from “starving and killing innocent Palestinians” during its war against terrorism.
In an Oct. 16 TikTok video post headlined “In case it wasn’t clear where I stand,” the progressive politician used three watermelon emojis—a symbol of support for Palestinians and their war against Israel.
On Sept. 10, the outgoing Dutch government announced it would be banning imports of goods from Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria.
Van Weel during a debate in parliament described The Hague’s latest move against Israel as drawing a “line in the sand” over the Gaza war.
