Subscribe to Print Edition | Fri., July 13, 2007 Tamuz 27, 5767 | | Israel Time: 14:12 (EST+7)
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Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs Maxime Verhagen shakes hands with Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank city of Ramallah in June 2007. (Reuters)
Last update - 07:21 09/07/2007
Dutch gov't warns company to stop work on W. Bank fence
By Cnaan Liphshiz, Haaretz Correspondent

The Dutch foreign minister, Maxime Verhagen, recently warned a construction company from the Rotterdam area to terminate its involvement in work on the separation fence in the West Bank.

"I expect Riwal to stop providing cranes for the wall. I hope this will be the last we hear of it," Verhagen said in a media statement late last month, adding that "the government will keep a close watch" on the company's actions.

The Dutch foreign ministry called the company's work on the barrier "undesirable," citing the 2004 ruling by the Hague-based International Court of Justice that the fence was illegal.

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Last year, the company agreed to halt its involvement following a request by the foreign ministry. However, the issue resurfaced last month after United Civilians for Peace (UCP) an organization promoting peace in the Middle East submitted evidence showing that Riwal was still providing equipment for the wall's contractors.

Reiterating its stance on Riwal, the Dutch foreign ministry recently suggested that the company abide by contractual usage stipulations.

Nonetheless, UCP accuses the Dutch government of not doing enough to hold Israel to account for its actions.

"The Hague often affords Israel unlimited backing despite violations of international law. We hope Verhagen's recent statement is more than lip-service," Martin Siepermann of UCP told Haaretz. "The government should pursue the matter independently instead of merely responding to our queries."

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  1.   Wall 02:48  |  JJ 09/07/07
  2.   Evil out of greed 03:10  |  Javier 09/07/07
  3.   I support the wall 03:11  |  Mark Lincoln 09/07/07
  4.   You late sir 03:27  |  Tamir Gaza 09/07/07
  5.   Will the Dutch pull their finger(s) from the dike? 03:36  |  Man deVoshkes 09/07/07
  6.   Dutch nonsense 03:50  |  BobUSA 09/07/07
  7.   To Javier 04:00  |  Garry 09/07/07
  8.   #1 and #2 04:01  |  Jon 09/07/07
  9.   The Dutch have always protected the Jews 04:02  |  Eva 09/07/07
  10.   "ISRAELI APARTHEID SYSTEM" 04:03  |  Brant 09/07/07
  11.   UCP and The Safety of Israel. 04:09  |  J of Hollywood 09/07/07
  12.   Javier 04:12  |  Jane 09/07/07
  13.   #3, The Wall Is In Israel 04:15  |  Mordechai 09/07/07
  14.   @9, eva give us a break, dutch were most 04:18  |  vladimir 09/07/07
  15.   Any appels to sell Eva? 04:18  |  Man deVoshkes 09/07/07
  16.   Farfur and the next Pal generation 04:19  |  GZLives 09/07/07
  17.   WTG DUTCH GOV`T 04:43  |  BOUT TIME 09/07/07
  18.   the almighty $$ will reign supreme 04:52  |  Ryan 09/07/07
  19.   #13 Mordechai, the Israel High Court of Justice doesn`t agree 05:05  |  Johnboy 09/07/07
  20.   #9 per capita the dutch had high nazi membership 05:06  |  topanaga 09/07/07
  21.   Javier 05:12  |  Joram 09/07/07
  22.   #10 Brant makes some bold statements 05:18  |  Johnboy 09/07/07
  23.   no doubt the apartheid wall will be demolished 05:29  |  nobodysacred 09/07/07
  24.   The Dutch seem to miss suicide bombings 05:31  |  Max 09/07/07
  25.   The WALL 05:33  |  John 09/07/07
  26.   The wall is being built in Israel 05:35  |  Jerusalem Shmuel 09/07/07
  27.   # 3 Mark Lincoln 05:35  |  Lynn 09/07/07
  28.   Johnboy on #13 Mordechai 05:38  |  John 09/07/07
  29.   The Wall will come down and be rebuilt 05:55  |  Moishe 09/07/07
  30.   Security as a pretext for shameless land grabbing 05:58  |  Ben Alofs 09/07/07
  31.   JOHNBOY: A MODEST PROPOSAL 06:04  |  Brant 09/07/07
  32.   Holland to Israel 06:06  |  Bill 09/07/07
  33.   Eva, I understand 06:12  |  Mark Lincoln 09/07/07
  34.   Jerusalem Shumel 06:13  |  Mark Lincoln 09/07/07
  35.   Then Schumel you agree with 06:15  |  Mark Lincoln 09/07/07
  36.   wall 06:16  |  rico 09/07/07
  37.   #24 Max appears to miss an important fact... 06:25  |  Johnboy 09/07/07
  38.   #26 Jerusalem Shmuel and "cognitive dissonance" 06:37  |  Johnboy 09/07/07
  39.   send them all the africans right now. whoops africans heard that 06:53  |  ralph 09/07/07
  40.   The Wall and the Dutch 07:54  |  Daniel 09/07/07
  41.   Eva, stop dreaming 08:04  |  Michael Jacobs 09/07/07
  42.   #9, Eva, Holland`s Record was Abysmal. Most Dutch Jews Died. 08:06  |  nacl 09/07/07
  43.   France should follow suit 08:14  |  Cynic #2 09/07/07
  44.   hypocrites 08:21  |  Viking 09/07/07
  45.   PA officials help build the fence. Why not Holland? 08:23  |  David 09/07/07
  46.   #31 Brandt responds with a content-free ramble 08:39  |  Johnboy 09/07/07
  47.   MORE, MORE, STEPS 08:40  |  indrajaya 09/07/07
  48.   same news 08:54  |  roland 09/07/07
  49.   Riwal 09:18  |  henk 09/07/07
  50.   They do not care as always. 09:20  |  Vital 09/07/07
  51.   Riwal Cranes 09:21  |  Alan 09/07/07
  52.   The Wall 09:30  |  Sam Barsam 09/07/07
  53.   Time to Boycott Holand 09:45  |  Daniel 09/07/07
  54.   Security Fence 10:18  |  Gina 09/07/07
  55.   # 9 Eva - The Dutch always ... Hahaha 10:33  |  ziggurat 09/07/07
  56.   I hate it already 11:00  |  MM 09/07/07
  57.   riwal, wall 11:03  |  rolfkitty 09/07/07
  58.   Dutch government shows responsibility 11:26  |  Raymond Deane 09/07/07
  59.   peace, no walls 11:30  |  ynse kalsbeek 09/07/07
  60.   Ynse kalsbeek #56 11:49  |  Johnny 09/07/07
  61.   The Dutch have always protected the Jews 12:04  |  Mike 09/07/07
  62.   Riwal and the wall 12:24  |  Jan van der Kolk 09/07/07
  63.   SREBRENICA, SREBRENICA, SREBRENICA!! 12:40  |  martyrmaker 09/07/07
  64.   Typical Dutch Behavior 12:50  |  Rebecca 09/07/07
  65.   Dutch gov`t is getting drunk 12:56  |  Daniel 09/07/07
  66.   The Dutch government and Israel 12:58  |  Paul Henzen 09/07/07
  67.   Dutch Jews were/are not much of a help either 13:17  |  Paul Henzen 09/07/07
  68.   The Iron Wall and Jabotinsky (2) 14:28  |  Don Camillo 09/07/07
  69.   Dutch Company 15:27  |  Dutchman 09/07/07
  70.   Dutch Company 15:33  |  dutchman 09/07/07
  71.   MM - Share Qalqilya with yourself! 15:39  |  Michael Jacobs 09/07/07
  72.   Where is Clickfool on this 16:01  |  Twogunz 09/07/07
  73.   Dutch support the wall 16:30  |  Frau Antje 09/07/07
  74.   Eva, 9 16:44  |  Jozef 09/07/07
  75.   Paul Henzen - Europe`s self-mutilation 17:01  |  Michael Jacobs 09/07/07
  76.   to *73 17:41  |  dutchman 09/07/07
  77.   # 53 daniel 17:41  |  Axel 09/07/07
  78.   # 75 Michael Jacobs - Dutch Jews anf gentiles 19:50  |  Paul Henzen 09/07/07
  79.   Paul Henzen - Lessons from the Holocaust 23:35  |  Michael Jacobs 09/07/07
  80.   to the `dutchman` 23:54  |  drowsy 09/07/07
  81.   Wall Supporters are Complicit in Terror 02:13  |  M. Goldstein 10/07/07
  82.   Mordechai = Goebbles = a Clown! 02:18  |  M.Goldstein 10/07/07
  83.   Why the dutch interfere 22:06  |  Andre 10/07/07
  84.   59: No, ynse, "peace, no war" (3rd try) 14:05  |  David Teich 13/07/07
  85.   38: JB and cognitive ignorance (3rd try) 14:06  |  David Teich 13/07/07
  86.   81: What`s sad is Goldstein`s ignorance & hate (2nd try) 14:07  |  David Teich 13/07/07