Amsterdam - Saba:
Mayor of Amsterdam Femke Halsema called on Wednesday the Dutch government to take a firm stand against the destruction, starvation, and brutal killing of Palestinians in Gaza.
According to Russia Today, Halsema confirmed on Wednesday that "the fate of the Gazans deeply affects many residents of the Dutch capital."
This came during a City Council session, where she warned against double standards in dealing with human rights crises.
Citing reports from the Dutch National Institute for Security Studies and international human rights organizations, Halsema said: "It is not unreasonable to talk about genocidal violence in Gaza.
It is time to put aside political differences and focus on saving lives."
She added that the international community, including the Netherlands, is obligated to stand against human rights violations.
Halsema announced that she will send an official letter to the Dutch cabinet tomorrow, urging it to pressure Israel to immediately cease violence and exercise restraint, support practical measures to end the destruction of Gaza and prevent starvation in the Strip, and recognize UN recommendations that indicate "practices that may amount to genocide" in the Gaza Strip.
She said, "The government's talk about stopping the violence will be meaningless without concrete steps to enforce peace."
Halsema's position comes days after the Utrecht City Council adopted a motion criticizing the Dutch government's "reservation" to describe the events in Gaza as "genocide," despite the term being consistent with reports by Amnesty International and the United Nations.
A majority of parties emphasized that the use of precise language is a "moral issue."
This comes amid mounting public pressure in the Netherlands to take a firm stance against the bloody Israeli war on Gaza.
It also comes amid controversy over the term "genocide," which has sparked European discussions after Spain officially used it.
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