On August 27, the Dutch parliament debated the departure of the NSC from the already outgoing cabinet, officially in response to the situation in Gaza. Anyone who hoped this debate would finally lead to serious political steps to stop the genocide in Gaza was disappointed.

What became clear is this: most parties did not use the subject of Gaza to save lives or change policy, but to polish their profiles with an eye on the upcoming elections. The fate of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians was reduced to a backdrop in a Hague power play.

Some used the debate to demonstrate so-called “governmental responsibility,” others to score opposition points. Some remained conspicuously silent, mainly to avoid losing voters. What was missing was the moral urgency the situation demands: an immediate arms embargo, an end to military cooperation with Israel, and diplomatic pressure to halt the destruction of Gaza.

A painful example came from VVD leader Dilan Yesilgöz. She used her speaking time to highlight women’s safety. An important issue, but hollow coming from the leader of a party that for years was part of governments that repeatedly failed to protect women in practice – from cutting funds for shelters to ignoring reports on femicide. While children and women in Gaza die daily under bombardments, she misused this debate for electioneering.

Once again, we saw how disconnected Dutch politics is from the reality outside the Binnenhof. While journalists, doctors, and children are pulled from the rubble, politicians waste their time on electoral calculations and party interest. It is a shocking illustration of politics without values: the reflex to look at opinion polls first, instead of human lives.

DiEM25 in the Netherlands insists that real politics is not about profiling, but about making choices for humanity and justice. Solidarity with Gaza is not a campaign talking point, it is a duty. As long as the Netherlands continues to facilitate arms exports and looks away diplomatically, our country contributes to the ongoing genocide.

It has become clear once more that change will not come from The Hague itself. It is up to us, citizens, to increase the pressure. For an arms embargo. For an end to hypocrisy. For politics that does not look away, but chooses life.

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