The Netherlands' ruling coalition is split over whether to pressure Israel on human rights grounds, after parties D66 and CDA called for the EU-Israel Association Agreement's trade provisions to be suspended, citing Israeli settlement expansion in the West Bank, attacks on Lebanon, and a newly passed death penalty law. The liberal VVD (People's Party for Freedom and Democracy), however, refused to back condemnation of Israel, describing it as "an important ally." A parliamentary majority — including D66, CDA, and several opposition parties — nonetheless passed a motion urging the Dutch government to form a European coalition pushing for the trade suspension, meaning Foreign Affairs Minister Berendsen must now pursue the matter in Brussels.