International

SP Member of Parliament Harry van Bommel has requested an urgent parliamentary debate on a newly-published UN report on ill-treatment of Palestinian children by Israel. ‘The report shows that Israel is guilty of abuses of the rights of arrested Palestinian children,’ he explains. ‘Dutch Foreign Minister Frans Timmermans stated repeatedly last week that he saw no occasion as things stand to increase pressure on Israel. This report must change that.’

SP Member of Parliament Arnold Merkies has major objections to the recently concluded taxation agreement with Ethiopia, which appears principally to promote the interests of multinational corporations. Merkies is anxious to see the treaty submitted to Parliament in order that greater justice can be accorded to Ethiopia’s position as a developing country. ‘The government has promised to give developing countries more space to collect badly-needed tax revenues, but this isn’t evident in this agreement. If this treaty stands as a model for taxation agreements with other developing countries, then these promises will turn out to have been worth very little.’