International

SP member of Parliament Harry van Bommel is urging the international community to make more efforts to help the victims of the violence committed by Jihadist fighters ISIS in Iraq.  ‘The latest information is that tens of thousands of Yezidis, members of one of the oldest religious communities in the Middle East, have been chased into the mountains and have nowhere left to turn. They are short of everything, even drinking water. This is completely unacceptable.’

Since the rise of ISIS in Iraq and Syria minorities in both countries have had increasingly to pay the price. Yezidis, but also Christians, Turkmens and other groups are being forced to convert, or killed. Villages where minorities live are laid waste, and many people forced to flee from the violence. Early next week the SP will welcome a group of Yezidis to the Parliament in The Hague to get a better perspective on the sad lot of their co-religionists in Iraq .

‘As a result of this intolerable situation I have written to the minister,’ says Van Bommel.  ‘This will be followed up by a debate with Foreign Minister Frans Timmermans, when I will take the opportunity to issue an urgent call to the minister to make more aid available for the humanitarian disaster taking place in Iraq.’