The Israeli Embassy in the Netherlands has dismissed its honorary consul in Maastricht after he accused Israel of starving Palestinians and committing genocide in Gaza in interviews with local media.
Benoit Wesly, a Jewish businessman from a family of Holocaust survivors, was removed after the embassy had already urged him to step down due to his advanced age and lack of activity, officials said. He was appointed in 2009, with his letter of appointment signed by then-president Shimon Peres.
“Here is a man over 80 years old who is inactive and speaks out only against Israel,” an Israeli official said. “We received complaints for years from senior figures in the Jewish community about his remarks and decided to part ways with him.”
According to people familiar with the matter, Wesly publicly criticized Israel in southern Dutch media and opposed including the transfer of the Dutch Embassy to Jerusalem in coalition agreements when the new government was formed. He also claimed there was no antisemitism in the Netherlands, which one senior Israeli official said damaged bilateral relations and angered rabbis, leaders of Jewish and Christian organizations and pro-Israel groups.
In an interview with Dutch outlets following his dismissal, Wesly said he was deeply hurt by the decision but stood by his remarks. “It was terrible pain, but tomorrow is a new day. I told the truth, I was not prepared to lie,” he said.
He explained that his accusations against Israel were based on images widely circulated around the world, which have triggered unprecedented criticism of Israel even from some of its closest Western allies. “According to the images, what Israel is doing borders on genocide,” Wesly said. “No one can take away what I did for the Jewish community and for Israel in particular.”
“I respect the Israeli ambassador very much,” he added. “But I always told the truth and always stood my ground.”