Motion in Dutch parliament seeks tighter control over funding to Palestinian NGOs

The Dutch lawmaker Chris Stoffer introduced a motion in the Dutch parliament last Wednesday that seeks greater transparency concerning Dutch funding to Palestinian NGOs. The motion demands that the Dutch government ensures that NGOs that receive funding do not violate Dutch Middle East policies, which embrace a peaceful two-state solution and an end of terrorism.

According to the new motion, the Dutch Foreign Ministry needs to provide information about projects, activities and directors of the NGOs that receive Dutch state funding. 

The Dutch NGO Center for Information and Documentation Israel (CIDI) welcomed the motion, arguing that it "reduces the risk of money ending up in the wrong hands."

Olga Deutsch, the vice president of NGO Monitor, praised the new motion as a step in the right direction. 

“We welcome this law as the necessary next step in correcting these fundamental NGO funding and oversight failures,” Deutch stated.

“For years, NGO Monitor has highlighted the systematic lack of vetting and oversight mechanisms, allowing billions of euros to be diverted to antisemitic, anti-Israel, and terror-affiliated organizations. The need to change these practices became even more salient following the Hamas massacre of October 7,” she continued. 

“The Netherlands commitment to a two-state solution must also be applied to development and humanitarian aid,” an NGO Monitor report stated, urging The Netherlands to cut all financial aid to radical groups that support anti-Israel terrorism and oppose the existence of the Jewish state. 

The Netherlands have traditionally been one of the largest international donors to various Muslim Arab organizations in Gaza, Judea and Samaria, internationally known as the West Bank.

NGO Monitor therefore hopes that the new Dutch motion could contribute towards a gradual de-radicalization of Palestinian society, where antisemitism and glorification of violence against Israelis have reached endemic levels. 

Last December, the Netherland became the first European Union member state that decided to phase out financial aid to the controversial UN agency UNRWA due to its ties to the terrorist organization Hamas. 

“UNRWA as an organization has been in disrepute for repeated violations of neutrality and for some of its employees who glorified violence in telegram groups,” the Dutch parliament budget amendment stated. “In addition, there have been serious allegations against employees who participated in the October 7, [2023, massacre] or the terrorist organizations Hamas and Hezbollah,” it added. 

The Dutch lawmaker Christ Stoffer who co-sponsored the legislation, stressed that the Netherlands did not want to finance terrorism against Israel and the Jewish people. 

“Our aid has sometimes fueled terrorism instead of helping civilians,” Stoffer said in an interview with the Jewish News Syndicate. “While we remain committed to delivering aid, UNRWA’s role in radicalizing future generations is horrific,” he continued. 

In November 2024, at least 10 Israeli soccer fans were injured by antisemitic Muslim gangs in Amsterdam in what was described as a modern pogrom against Jews in Europe. 

The Dutch right-wing coalition leader Geert Wilders strongly condemned the antisemitic attack in Amsterdam. 

“Pogrom in the streets of Amsterdam. We have become the Gaza of Europe. Muslims with Palestinian flags hunting down Jews. I will NOT accept that. NEVER. The authorities will be held accountable for their failure to protect the Israeli citizens. Never again,” Wilders vowed.