In a letter addressed to EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas, Caspar Veldkamp called for scrutinizing the agreement’s Article 2, which calls for respect of human rights. Veldkamp’s letter accused Israel of failing to provide sufficient humanitarian aid in Gaza. The 27 EU Foreign Ministers are meeting on Tuesday in Brussels mainly discuss defense issues but the Dutch Foreign Minister hopes that EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas will put the EU-Israel agreement on the table. Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp wants to convince a majority of at least 14 EU countries to launch an investigation into whether Israel still meets EU cooperation requirements in the framework of the EU-Israel Association Agreement, Dutch media reported, writes Yossi Lempkowicz.

The minister’s move  is in response to concerns about "Israel’s blockade of aid supplies to the Gaza Strip," which Veldkamp says may violate international humanitarian law, Dutch public broadcaster NOS  reported.

In the meantime, Israel on Sunday (18 May) allowed resumed delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.

Any decision to review the EU-Israel agreement would have to come from the European Commission.

In a letter addressed to EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas, Veldkamp called for scrutinizing the agreement’s Article 2, which calls for respect of human rights. Veldkamp’s letter accused Israel of failing to provide sufficient humanitarian aid in Gaza.

So far, some 11 countries have pledged support for the Dutch initiative including Spain, France, Ireland, Slovenia. But Israel’s best friends within the EU, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Austria, are said to be resisting. "Because of the political sensitivity, many countries are still hesitant, making it uncertain whether the necessary majority will be achieved," according to NOS.

Veldkamp’s proposal does not seek termination of the 'EU-Israel Association Agreement', a trade treaty that firmly affects Israel economically and politically and requires unanimity of the 27 EU member states, which is impossible given the veto of Hungary, among others. Instead, the Netherlands wants an investigation into "compliance with human rights and democratic norms" enshrined in Article 2 of the Agreement which was signed in 2000 and deals with cooperation between the two sides in various sectors. In the absence of such an investigation, the Netherlands is blocking negotiations on the renewal of the action plan that accompanies the cooperation agreement.

The 27 EU Foreign Ministers met on Tuesday (20 May) in Brussels mainly to discuss defense issues but the Dutch Foreign Minister hopes that EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas will put the EU-Israel agreement on the table and get a “show of hands” in favor or against a review of the ties in light of the situation in Gaza.

Kallas seems to be rather cautious on the idea of suspending the EU-Israel Association Agreement. “Even if we would, it wouldn’t stop the killing, and that is the problem,” she told Politico. Playbook’s own Nick Vinocur last week. Brussels is trying to co-ordinate with Arab allies, she said, but ultimately “we need our American friends on board to understand that the situation is completely untenable.”

The  final decision lies with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who so far has been cautious in her criticism of Israel.

In the meantime, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar has been stepping up diplomatic contacts to counter the Dutch proposal,

In recent days, Saar has held talks with his counterparts from Latvia, Germany, Italy, Croatia, Bulgaria, Hungary, Lithuania and the Czech Republic, as well as with the Kaja Kallas.

The Israeli authorities believe that Veldkamp is pursuing an anti-Israeli agenda motivated by domestic political considerations. “The Dutch government does not fully support his position and is in fact generally considered to be more pro-Israeli,” said a diplomatic source quoted by i24news. Dutch far-right leader Geert Wilders, a staunch supporter of Israel, has sharply criticized Veldkamp’s  move, calling it a “capitulation to human rights groups”. He has described the Dutch minister as "weak".

The EU is Israel’s largest trading partner, accounting for 31.9% of its imports and 25.6% of its exports in 2022, for a total volume of 46.8 billion euros.

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