The Dutch foreign minister Maxime Verhagen will visit Israel on Monday, bringing the message to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert that the Hague wishes to play a more central role in resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Even before the minister's visit to the region began, however (Monday he will be in Egypt), it took an awkward turn, as 52 senior Dutch figures demanded on Saturday that their government recognize Hamas and "apply more pressure against Israel, to restore the international community's credibility."

Last week, former Dutch prime minister Dries Van Agt, who co-signed the petition, demanded that Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen "denounce not only attacks by Palestinians on Israelis, but also terrorist actions by the Israeli occupation army, which result in the death of so many Palestinians."

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The signatories also include Hans van den Broek, who served as foreign minister for 11 years, before his appointment in 1993 as European commissioner for foreign relations. Both he and Van Agt belong to Verhagen's center-right ruling party, the CDA.

The petition appeared in several daily papers, and featured signatures of many other opinion shapers from across the political board. "The government must help break the impasse. With the Arab League," the petition read. In addition, the document included an implicit demand that Holland recognize Hamas: "The Netherlands must engage in dialogue with all the relevant parties."

Meanwhile, a Dutch Jewish organization last week arranged for parliament to hear two Palestinian teenagers who asked for the Netherlands to "intervene to stop the horrors of occupation." Jaap Hamburger, from "A Different Jewish Voice" (Een Ander Joods Geluid), told parliament that Israel acts as if it has "received a blank check, which it uses to violate human rights and international law."

Against this backdrop, another organization, Christians for Israel, decided to allocate $50,000 for the building of shelters in Sderot, for protection from Palestinian Qassam rockets.