Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has been appointed to become the next head of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, NATO, according to an official statement released Wednesday.
“On Wednesday (26 June 2024), the North Atlantic Council decided to appoint Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte as the next Secretary General of NATO, succeeding Jens Stoltenberg,” the statement said.
The appointment was made during a summit meeting of NATO’s 32 member states that was held in Belgium.
Rutte will succeed incumbent NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg of Norway when his term ends on October 1 after ten years leading the alliance.
Stoltenberg welcomed Rutte to the job in a statement posted on the X social media platform, calling him a “true transatlanticist, a strong leader and a consensus-builder.”
For his part, Rutte praised Stoltenberg’s “outstanding leadership” and said in a separate statement on X that it was a “tremendous honor” to be appointed to the post. “The Alliance is and will remain the cornerstone of our collective security,” he pledged.
Rutte has long been a supporter of the State of Israel, declaring “unconditional support” for the Jewish State’s “right to defend itself” after Hamas-led terrorists from Gaza launched a war against Israel on October 7, 2023.
Netherlands, which has historically been a strong ally of the Jewish State, manufactures several parts that are used to build F-35 stealth fighter jets for the IDF that were purchased by Israel from the United States.
Rutte has visited Israel twice over the past year. He maintains contact with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at least once a month and sometimes more often.
