Nearly half of voters consider Gaza war in their voting decisions, majority believe Israel is committing genocide

Nearly half of Dutch people consider the war in Gaza to be a factor in their voting decisions for the upcoming parliamentary elections. This is according to a poll conducted by research agency Motivaction, commissioned by six human rights organizations, including PAX and Amnesty International. Of the more than 1,000 respondents, 42 percent indicate that Gaza plays a "somewhat" to a "very significant" role in their party choice. For 39 percent, it plays a "little" or "not at all" role.

According to the poll, a majority of the Dutch population believes Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. This is true for 54 percent, while 12 percent disagree. This is an increase compared to the same poll in April. At that time, a narrow minority of 48 percent believed Israel was guilty of genocide.

The sharp decline in the share of respondents who answered "don't know/no opinion" to this statement is striking. According to the researchers, this group was significantly overrepresented in April, at 29 percent, while now there is a significant underrepresentation of 20 percent. Since April, two Israeli NGOs and the International Association of Genocide Scholars, among others, have concluded that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. An independent UN commission of inquiry also reached this conclusion, albeit after the period in which the Motivaction questionnaire was administered.

Lack of support for government policy

A majority of Dutch people also believe the Dutch government and the European Union should take action. For example, 57 percent support a ban on trade with illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Furthermore, 54 percent believe the EU should no longer offer trade benefits to Israel, and 53 percent support halting Dutch arms exports to Israel.

According to the cabinet, it is currently "virtually impossible that a license will be granted for the export to Israel of weapons that could contribute to the activities of the Israeli armed forces in the Gaza Strip or the West Bank," according to the now-resigned Minister of Foreign Affairs Caspar Veldkamp (NSC) in a letter to parliament at the end of July. Since then, it has emerged that the cabinet had revoked three licenses for arms exports to Israel in July. Currently, existing licenses are still active.

"The figures from this opinion poll confirm that support for the government's policy is largely lacking," says Roelien Sasse, director of the peace organization PAX Foundation. The lack of support for the cabinet's policy is also reflected in the figures: 28 percent of respondents approve of the Dutch government's current response or believe Israel deserves more support. According to 48 percent of the Dutch, the government should support Israel less than it currently does. PAX director Sasse: "The Dutch population sees war crime after war crime in Gaza and wants the government to draw a clear red line."