THE HAGUE - Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp resigned on Friday, saying he could not push through tougher measures against Israel over Gaza City and the West Bank because of opposition from fellow ministers.

He announced his decision in The Hague following a meeting of the Council of Ministers.

"I see that I cannot take sufficiently meaningful additional measures to increase pressure on Israel," Veldkamp told reporters.

He added that while the Netherlands had "nothing to be ashamed of," he had encountered persistent opposition within the cabinet to his push for tougher policies regarding Gaza City and the West Bank.

The minister, a member of the New Social Contract (NSC) party, had faced criticism after proposing a possible trade ban on products from Israeli settlements in a letter to parliament.

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The move had not been coordinated with fellow ministers and met resistance from coalition partners, including the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) and the Farmer-Citizen Movement (BBB).

During Thursday's parliamentary debate, left-wing opposition parties argued that the government was not doing enough. The Socialist Party (SP), backed by the Party for the Animals (PvdD) and migrant party Denk, tabled a motion of no confidence against Veldkamp. However, his resignation rendered the motion unnecessary.

In late July, Veldkamp had declared two Israeli cabinet ministers persona non grata and ordered their entry into the Schengen Information System as unwelcome individuals, citing their "repeated incitement of settler violence against the Palestinian population..."

Political crisis escalates

Veldkamp's resignation triggered a collective exit by fellow NSC ministers - Eddy van Hijum (Social Affairs), Eppo Bruins (Education), Judith Uitermark (Interior), Danielle Jansen (Health) - as well as four state secretaries. The move further destabilizes the fragile coalition.

The Dutch government has held caretaker status since June 3, when the far-right Party for Freedom (PVV） quit the coalition over asylum policy. 

New elections are scheduled for Oct 29. It remains unclear whether NSC will continue supporting the current administration after the resignation of one of its senior ministers. 

Prime Minister Dick Schoof said he "deeply regretted" the NSC decision. "Further deliberation on the political situation is now necessary," he said.

On Gaza, Schoof added: "We all want the humanitarian situation to improve. Unfortunately, that has not led to a common conclusion."