2024-03-21 10:11:44
The Netherlands does not rule out the possibility of imposing sanctions against Israel if the Jewish state conducts a large-scale military operation in Rafah. This was stated by the acting Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte at a debate in parliament. His words are quoted by the NL Times information portal, Day.Az reports with reference to TASS.
If Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government launches an attack, the cabinet will immediately meet to discuss possible steps, he said. What are these steps, acting. The Prime Minister of the Netherlands did not specify, but added that “sanctions are not excluded.”
Such an attack, Rutte emphasized, would have “political consequences” and Israel is well aware of this. It will “dramatically change the situation” and lead to a humanitarian catastrophe, the head of the Dutch government added.
The situation in the Middle East sharply worsened after the infiltration of Hamas militants from the Gaza Strip into Israeli territory on October 7, 2023, which was accompanied by the killing of residents of border settlements and the taking of more than 240 hostages. Radicals called this attack a response to the actions of the Israeli authorities against the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem. Israel announced a complete blockade of Gaza and began striking the strip and certain areas of Lebanon and Syria, after which it launched a ground operation in the enclave. Clashes also occur in the West Bank.
The conflict has led to a significant deterioration in the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip. According to the UN, famine could break out at any moment in a territory where 2.3 million people live.