The Price of Silence: How Dutch Diplomacy in the Middle East is Falling Apart

Gepubliceerd op 19 juni 2025 om 10:05

On the night from Thursday to Friday, Israel launched a large-scale attack on Iran, claiming it aimed to neutralize the nuclear threat. This escalation in the Middle East marks a dangerous low point and is being followed with grave concern across the globe. Civilian casualties are mounting on both sides: 24 in Israel so far, and over 200 in Iran.

 

The Netherlands has so far called for de-escalation and expressed concern about Iran’s nuclear ambitions. However, criticism of the Israeli government is conspicuously absent. This one-sided condemnation is morally untenable and undermines the Netherlands’ credibility as a diplomatic actor in the Middle East — a credibility already damaged by its silence on the genocide in Gaza.

 

The current wave of violence began when Israel launched major airstrikes on two nuclear facilities in Iran. Iranian nuclear scientists and high-ranking military officials were also targeted and eliminated. Iran threatened large-scale retaliation and ultimately struck 30 Israeli targets. Since then, both countries have exchanged rockets and drones, with devastating consequences for civilians.

 

Nuclear Ambitions

Concerns about Iran’s nuclear program, which Israel cites as justification for its attacks, are widely shared. Just prior to the Israeli strikes, the UN nuclear watchdog IAEA reprimanded Iran for violating international agreements. This criticism aligns with growing pressure from Western countries to reimpose UN sanctions on Iran, which were lifted in 2015.

 

Iran has also taken center stage in Dutch reactions to the escalation. Minister Veldkamp described Iran’s retaliatory attacks as “next-level” and emphasized that Israel's actions are a response to Iran's nuclear threat. However, criticism of Israel’s nuclear arsenal or its military aggression remains absent. When asked about Netanyahu’s role, both Prime Minister Schoof and Veldkamp seemed more focused on avoiding any substantive condemnation of Israel. They stuck to the tightly scripted message that “it is deeply regrettable that Israel feels compelled to carry out such attacks.”

 

Double standards

Singling out Iran for condemnation is indefensible. According to various experts, the situation points more to Israeli aggression than to self-defense. Erwin van Veen, conflict researcher at the Clingendael Institute, points out that Iran was recently still in talks with the United States and that there was no indication it intended to use nuclear weapons against Israel. Moreover, Netanyahu benefits politically from the confrontation. The Israeli prime minister, whose fragile coalition was on the brink of collapse, remains in power as long as the country is in a state of war. At the same time, the escalation conveniently diverts attention from the ongoing genocide in Gaza.

 

Consequences for Dutch Interests

The fact that the Dutch government is complicit in this political maneuvering is not only shameful, but also gravely undermines its diplomatic credibility. Its one-sided condemnation in the Israel-Iran conflict echoes its silence on the genocide in Gaza. Once again, the Netherlands, like many other Western countries, applies double standards.

 

The Netherlands presents itself as a guardian of justice. The International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court are based here, and our political capital is known as the international city of peace and justice. Yet the moral authority that comes with this status is easily cast aside when it concerns a government with which military and economic ties are deemed more important. To believe that this hypocrisy goes unnoticed in other Middle Eastern countries where the Netherlands claims to support human rights is naïve and diplomatically reckless. Essential foreign policy goals, such as promoting women’s rights, preventing unjust imprisonment of activists, or fostering economic cooperation, are now under serious threat.

 

The era of looking away and failing to take action against the Netanyahu government must truly come to an end. If the Netherlands continues to apply double standards, even the last shred of credibility it still holds will be lost.

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