'Europe must choose: Israel or Hamas' says Israeli FM Sa’ar after Hamas praises Dutch FM

After the Hamas terrorist organization praised Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp’s decision to step down from his position last week, Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs Gideon Sa’ar said that “Europe must choose: Israel or Hamas.”

“Hamas praises outgoing Dutch Foreign Minister @CasparVeldkamp, the initiator of sanctions against Israel in the European Union. Just as it praised Macron and his partners for recognizing a ‘Palestinian state’ – a move Hamas classified as ‘the fruits of October 7,’” Sa’ar wrote in a post on 𝕏 on Sunday.

“Europe must choose: Israel or Hamas,” he continued. “Every action against Israel directly serves the jihadist axis in the Middle East.”

Sa’ar made the comments in reaction to an Al Jazeera post, which quoted Hamas as saying the following, “We commend the courageous stance of the Dutch Foreign Minister and his colleagues, and their resignation over their refusal to impose sanctions on the occupation.”

On Friday evening, Veldkamp resigned from his role as Dutch Foreign Minister after failing to impose new sanctions on Israel.

In an official statement, Veldkamp explained the reason for his resignation.

“I felt resistance in the cabinet against more measures as a result of what is happening in Gaza City and the occupied West Bank at the moment,” he said.

Though Veldkamp’s recent efforts to sanction Israel failed, the Netherlands has taken actions against members of Netanyahu’s government.

Last month, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich were banned from visiting the Netherlands.

After the decision was made to ban the two Israeli ministers, Sa’ar said the move “harmed the chances of reaching a ceasefire in Gaza and a plan for the release of hostages, strengthened Hamas’s refusal, and are actually making a military escalation more likely.”

During a meeting with Dutch Ambassador to Israel Marriet Schuurman, Sa’ar “wished the Netherlands success in its future confrontation with radical Islamic elements that have established themselves in its territory,” according to a statement from his office.