Jesse Klaver: There will be no agreement with Wilders even if he wins fifty seats
Dilan Yesilgoz, the leader of the VVD party, confirmed during the party conference in Nieuwegein that her party will not form a coalition with the far-right PVV party led by Geert Wilders, even if it wins 50 seats in the upcoming general elections in October. She said, "Wilders has shown that every vote for him is a wasted vote."
Ysekhuz was under pressure from party leaders to re-impose a "political isolation" on the PVV party after Wilders withdrew from the government coalition two weeks ago, due to the refusal of the other right-wing parties - VVD, NSC, and BBB - to sign a commitment to a ten-point program to tighten asylum policies, some of whose provisions were already included in the government agreement.
Jesse Klaver accused Wilders of shirking responsibility at a moment that required "real leadership," adding: "Anyone who thinks that cooperation with Wilders will produce good policies on immigration, security, or freedom is mistaken." Klaver also ruled out cooperation with the leftist GroenLinks-PvdA coalition, describing the party as having "drifted too far from the center due to its radical supporters," saying: "I have great concerns about what they have become; they raise taxes, drive out businesses, and make government more complicated."
Regarding Israel, Yair Lapid softened his tone a bit amidst criticism within the party towards Benjamin Netanyahu's government. He clarified: "I support Israel's right to exist and defend itself, but I also criticize Netanyahu's government. We should not be one-dimensional in our thinking."
She added that the VVD party opposes imposing comprehensive sanctions on Israel, but does not rule out taking targeted actions against Israeli ministers who adopt extremist positions. She stated that the party may have to make concessions regarding the Israeli file if it participates in the next government, calling for no 'red lines' to be set in advance before starting negotiations to form the government.