Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar asserted that Europe must decide whether to ally itself with Israel or Hamas in a social media post on Sunday, arguing that its latest condemnations of Israel have been met with praise by the Palestinian terror group.
“Hamas praises outgoing Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp, the initiator of sanctions against Israel in the European Union,” he wrote.
“Just as it praised Macron and his partners for recognizing a 'Palestinian state' – a move Hamas classified as 'the fruits of October 7.' Europe must choose: Israel or Hamas. Every action against Israel directly serves the jihadist axis in the Middle East.”
Sa’ar’s comments come as Veldkamp resigned from his position on Friday as Dutch foreign minister, as his efforts to issue new sanctions against the Israeli leadership were blocked.
After failing to garner support for his plans on Friday, he announced, "I'm going home now and I'm going to write my resignation letter," according to De Telegraaf.
“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 later said in a statement following his resignation.
Sa’ar’s strong message at the last UNSC
This is not the first time that Sa’ar has confronted officials from other countries. Earlier this month, he said that Hamas and its “propaganda machine” had turned the world upside down at a United Nations Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East.
“A huge part of the international media is both ignoring the truth and buying its lies,” he said.
In his speech, Sa'ar emphasized that the UNSC and the global community must finally condemn Hamas and hold the terrorist group accountable for its crimes.
Danielle Greyman-Kennard contributed to this report.