The former Prime Minister of the Netherlands Dries van Agt has said that “Israel – for those who do not know – has a range of nuclear bombs and is the most dangerous country in the Middle East”.

Speaking at a session organised by the Socialist Youth Association in the city of Utrecht on the Palestinian-Israeli issue van Agt said, “Israel seems to the world public opinion as if [it is] living under constant threat as a small place among a number of Arab countries”.

“The entire world turns a blind eye to the blockade imposed on the Palestinian Gaza Strip, including the Netherlands” he said.

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Van Agt has also noted that interest in the Palestinian cause has declined significantly over the past few years.

“There are several factors, but the most important is that people began to look at it as something natural, in addition to the disintegration of the Middle East” he said.

Van Agt, who is a diplomat of the Christian Democratic Union Party, was prime minister of the Netherlands between 1977-1982.