Dutch parliament rejects motions on Jerusalem, Palestinian state
The Jerusalem motion was submitted by the anti-Islam Party for Freedom of Geert Wilders.
By JTAA woman walks past a national flag, the day before a general election, in Delft, Netherlands, March 14, 2017.(photo credit: REUTERS)
AMSTERDAM — A draft motion urging the Dutch government to recognize immediately a Palestinian state and a second urging it to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital foundered in the country’s parliament.The motion on Jerusalem, which was voted on Tuesday at the Tweede Kamer, the lower house, received the support of parties accounting for 30 lawmakers out of 150, the Center for Information and Documentation, or CIDI, reported. The motion on recognizing a Palestinian state received the support of parties with a total of 64 seats.The Jerusalem motion was submitted by the anti-Islam Party for Freedom of Geert Wilders, who coauthored the draft motion with Raymond de Roon.Denk, a radical pro-Muslim party, submitted a counter draft motion on recognition of a Palestinian state.Both motions were submitted in connection with annual negotiations over the foreign ministry’s budget, which in the Netherlands also features scrutiny of the kingdom’s foreign relations.“The results reflect the position of the Dutch government which has not changed for many years,” CIDI wrote on its website.The only coalition party that voted in favor of the Denk motion was D66, a left-leaning liberal movement.The ruling People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy voted against both draft motions.
