Dutch right-wing leader Geert Wilders said on Thursday he had spoken with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to express support for Israel and denounce the decision of the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to seek arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
“Just had a great conversation by phone with Prime Minister Netanyahu,, I expressed my strong support for the State of Israel and the Jewish people,” Wilders wrote in a post on social media.
“The decision of the ICC prosecutor is ridiculous and wrong, it’s a crime NOT to defend its people against the forces of hate and terror,” he added.
On Wednesday, Wilders gave an impassioned speech in support of Israel at the Dutch Parliament.
He said that radical Muslims “are out to destroy the Jewish State and kill its inhabitants” and then added, “And for me and my political party, it is not difficult to see with whom we stand in solidarity. Are we with the Jewish people, who are fighting for their existence, or are we with Islamic extremists, terrorist scum who want to exterminate them? And I tell you, until the very end, I support the State of Israel.”
Wilders’ PVV party won the elections in November but he had been unable to form a government for several months.
Last week, however, he announced that a deal had been reached to form a new government in which he would not serve as Prime Minister.
The deal brings together outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte's center-right VVD, the new NSC party and farmers' protest party BBB in a coalition with a strong majority of 88 seats in the 150-seat Lower House.
Wilders, a staunch supporter of Israel, is also known for his tough views on Islam, with his party having previously vowed to close mosques and “ban the Quran” in its manifesto.
His stance against Islam has in the past sparked outrage around the Muslim world and prompted death threats that have led to him living under round-the-clock protection.
In 2015, Wilders caused a storm in his country after he announced plans to broadcast cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad, the founder of Islam, on national television.