By : Nedal Zubeidi
Jordan Daily -The resignation of Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp is not an isolated event. It marks a defining moment in Europe’s shifting attitudes toward the war on Gaza. What unfolded in The Hague was not simply the departure of a minister or the withdrawal of a centrist party from a caretaker government – it revealed a deeper fracture in Europe’s political and moral conscience.
The Netherlands, long recognized for its balance and its devotion to international law, now finds itself at the center of an ethical storm. How can a government that proclaims its commitment to justice overlook what many now describe as crimes against humanity unfolding just beyond Europe’s borders? How can leaders who champion human rights reconcile their silence with continued military and commercial privileges granted to a state carrying out relentless destruction, and starvation in Gaza?
The change is not confined to parliamentary corridors. It is also visible in the public mood. Recent polls in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom show a sharp decline in sympathy for Israel, with nearly half of Dutch respondents believing that the Gaza war amounts to genocide. This is not a passing sentiment; it signals the beginning of a structural shift in Europe’s political mindset.
Europeans who once viewed the conflict in terms of “balance” or “historical complexity” now see it in stark moral terms: a besieged civilian population on one side, and an unchecked military machine on the other. In such a moment, old justifications fall apart.
Yet, Europe as a bloc remains hesitant. Noble rhetoric clashes with entrenched economic and security ties to Tel Aviv, leaving governments slow to act. The resignations of Dutch ministers embody this tension: a moral conscience unwilling to remain silent against institutional inertia.
The greater risk is that political divisions in one country, and perhaps beyond, create further paralysis at a time when Europe needs a united voice to address a spiraling humanitarian crisis.
This Dutch rupture is a reminder that politics is not only the art of the possible, but often the art of avoiding responsibility. History, however, suggests that once public opinion shifts decisively, governments are eventually compelled to follow.
