🇳🇱 In a major upset, Dutch elections saw far-right leader Geert Wilders – famous for his anti-Islam rhetoric and strong support for Israel – lose to the center-left liberal “Democrats 66” party. The D66 are led by Rob Jetten, an openly gay 38-year-old who is a vocal supporter of Palestine.
Jetten has called for recognizing a Palestinian state, suspending the EU–Israel trade deal, and boycotting settlement products. In May, he joined a 100,000-person “Red Line” protest in The Hague against what he described as the “genocide in Gaza,” saying the Netherlands “must do everything to stop the starvation and killing of innocent Palestinians.”
D66 surged from 7 to 27 seats, effectively tying Wilders’ PVV, which fell from 37 to 26 seats. Coalition talks are underway, and Jetten is expected to become prime minister on October 30.