The fact that a center-left party known to be anti-Israel, made huge gains at the general election in the Netherlands this week, is sparking concern among the country’s Jews.
The party, D66 (Democraten 66), led by 38-year-old Rob Jette, made huge gains which give him the lead in the formation of the next government, as the party of far-right leader Geert Wilders lost support.
D66 almost tripled its seats, while Geert Wilders’s pro-Israel rightist Freedom Party (PVV) suffered a sharp fall from a record showing in the last poll in 2023.
Wilders led his party to a stunning first-place finish in the 2023 election and formed an all-conservative coalition, although his partners refused to endorse him as prime minister. He brought the government down in June over its refusal to adopt his hardline anti-immigrant measures.
According to the Center for Information and Documentation Israel (CIDI), the Netherlands’ leading organization dedicated to combating antisemitism and spreading awareness of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, forming a coalition government will not be easy, but the most likely scenarios point to a more critical cabinet policy towards Israel and less priority being given to combating anti-Semitism.
‘’In the previous coalition, the most right-wing ever (before PVV left it) stood squarely behind Israel in its fight against the jihadist destruction of Islamic terrorist movements for a long time. This was especially true for the PVV and BBB, an agrarian and right-wing populist political party which remained firmly behind the Jewish state. The Liberal VVD became increasingly critical and the New Social Contract (NSC) even left the cabinet because it did not receive support for the sanctions it wanted to impose on Israel.
‘’Looking at the electoral compass quadrant, it is clear that D66 cannot be called a centrist party, even with the best will in the world. This is also evident from its election program. Jetten’s party can be considered left-wing,’ CIDI says.
Looking into the three certainties in a future coalition under Robe Jette, CIDI noted that D66 is outspokenly anti-Israel. ‘’It speaks openly of genocide, wants far-reaching sanctions, and wants to recognize the Palestinian state without conditions.’’
The CDA (Christian-Democrats) has made a U-turn and is now also very critical of Israel. It wants sanctions and is prepared to recognize a Palestinian state under certain conditions, which until recently was unthinkable for them. And
For the Jewish community, the political landslide does not bode well either. PVV and BBB, two parties that are tirelessly committed to fighting anti-Semitism, will end up in opposition.
D66 party’s voting record is rather mediocre: it voted in favor of protecting Jewish life or combating anti-Semitism in only half of the motions. Moreover, in debates and in its election program, it always brings up hatred of Muslims and Islamophobia when discussing anti-Semitism.
‘’Rob Jetten’s party fails to truly recognize how serious the problem of anti-Semitism is in the Netherlands. In September, it also voted in favor of a motion by the Party for the Animals to abandon the IHRA definition of anti-Semitism. This is a worrying signal to the Jewish community. In doing so, the party is casting doubt on the legitimacy of the small, vulnerable Jewish community’s feelings of discrimination. the VVD is also increasingly critical of Israel. It went along with sanctions against Israel, supported sanctions against Israeli government officials and is in favor of a boycott on products from Judea and Samaria (the West Bank).
“This leads to the conclusion that the next cabinet will in any case be more critical of Israel than the previous one, now that the PVV and BBB, both outspokenly pro-Israel parties, will not be part of a coalition,’’ according to CIDI.
In an analysis of this week’s vote, Dutch Jewish media Jonet.nl confirms that in recent years, Jetten’s party ‘’has shown a less than pro-Jewish attitude in the eyes of many in Dutch Jews, particularly with regard to Israel.’’ ‘A right-wing cabinet is most favorable for the Jewish community,’’ it writes.
Although Dutch Jews are often not Israelis, they have strong ties to the country. They often have family living there or it is a favorite vacation destination, and religious Jews are keenly aware of their three-thousand-year-old connection to Israel. However, many feel that the country is always judged differently and that there is selective outrage.
Around 30,000 Jews live inthe Netherlands.