Dutch Foreign Minister Defends Diplomat Promoting ‘One-State Solution’
Stef Blok and Angelique Eijpe Image by Forward Montage
AMSTERDAM (JTA) — The Dutch foreign minister defended the right of a diplomat serving in his ministry to call for a boycott of Israel and promote a “one-state solution” of Israelis and Palestinians.
Stef Blok offered a defense of Angelique Eijpe on Tuesday in parliament.
Eijpe’s anti-Israel activities came up in parliamentary queries after it emerged that she was granted an extraordinary leave of absence from the ministry to set up an organization called One State Foundation promoting the one-state solution. Supporters of one state say it would end the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, but opponents dismiss the plan as an attempt to transform Israel through immigration from a Jewish-majority country to a Palestinian-majority one.
The Netherlands has declared itself committed to a two-state solution, a Jewish nation living alongside a Palestinian one.
Blok said Eijpe’s actions do no constitute a “sharp contradiction” with the Dutch Foreign Ministry’s policy, as she is not paid by the ministry during her work for the foundation. He said it falls within the freedom of expression and assembly, reserved also for employees of government offices.
In 2014, Eijpe shared a plea on Facebook to “immediately boycott the state of Israel.” The Dutch Foreign Ministry is opposed to such boycotts.
Eijpe, who has advised the ministry on issues connected to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, also has been involved with a family member’s lawsuit against Benny Gantz, a former chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces, over a military strike in Gaza.
The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.
Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.
This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Dive In
-
Fast Forward Chicago mayor donned keffiyeh for Arab Heritage Month event, sparking outcry from Jewish groups
-
Fast Forward The invitation said, ‘No Jews.’ The response from campus officials, at least, was real.
-
Fast Forward Latvia again closes case against ‘Butcher of Riga,’ tied to mass murder of Jews
-
Fast Forward Protesters clash in Crown Heights as Ben-Gvir visits Chabad headquarters
Most Popular
- 1
Opinion The dangerous Nazi legend behind Trump’s ruthless grab for power
- 2
Culture Trump wants to honor Hannah Arendt in a ‘Garden of American Heroes.’ Is this a joke?
- 3
Opinion A Holocaust perpetrator was just celebrated on US soil. I think I know why no one objected.
- 4
Culture Did this Jewish literary titan have the right idea about Harry Potter and J.K. Rowling after all?
In Case You Missed It
-
Fast Forward Chicago mayor donned keffiyeh for Arab Heritage Month event, sparking outcry from Jewish groups
-
Fast Forward The invitation said, ‘No Jews.’ The response from campus officials, at least, was real.
-
Fast Forward Latvia again closes case against ‘Butcher of Riga,’ tied to mass murder of Jews
-
Fast Forward Protesters clash in Crown Heights as Ben-Gvir visits Chabad headquarters
-
Shop the Forward Store
100% of profits support our journalism
Republish This Story
Please read before republishing
We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines.
You must comply with the following:
- Credit the Forward
- Retain our pixel
- Preserve our canonical link in Google search
- Add a noindex tag in Google search
See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.
To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at [email protected], subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.