Dutch Laborites: sanctions if Israel thwarts peace

The Netherlands must impose economic sanctions against Israel if the new government in Jerusalem thwarts the peace process with the Palestinians, the Dutch Labor party said last week.

Members of Labor, which is a member of the Dutch government as the country's second largest party, said they intended to write a manifesto on the matter to Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen, from the centrist ruling CDA party, who is widely considered to be a staunch Israel supporter.

In an interview for Radio 1, Labor's Martijn van Dam said his party insisted that Verhagen and the European Union take "concrete" action, demanding that Israel accept Hamas as a partner for dialogue. Van Dam also lamented the decision to blacklist Hamas.

He went on to call the new Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman "an extremist who is on the brink of racism," adding: "This is not a government with much prospect for peace."

Discussions on the matter between the cabinet and Labor's representatives in parliament are expected to continue this week.