By Geraldine Coughlan The Hague

In the Netherlands, a new committee has been set up to plead the case of the Palestinians.

Called Stop the Occupation, it is headed by Gretta Duisenberg, the wife of the president of the European Central Bank, Wim Duisenberg.

The group placed an advertisement in a Dutch newspaper calling on European Union governments to play an active role in ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Gretta Duisenberg has hit the headlines for the second time in several months as part of her fight in support of the Palestinian people.

Mr Duisenberg's wife hit the headlines for the second time

Last May, her husband was forced to take down the Palestinian flag she was flying from her balcony in an Amsterdam suburb because it was causing offence to her Jewish neighbours.

Now, Mrs Duisenberg has vowed to fly the flag again. Her new committee is supported by 180 prominent Dutch citizens, including a former prime minister.

They are collecting more signatures for a petition calling on EU members to demand an Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank and Gaza in line with UN resolutions.

If not, they want the EU to impose trade sanctions against Israel, and also governments to take other hardline action as a means towards achieving peace in the Middle East.

Gretta Duisenberg's group got off to a good start.

But the question now is - will the voice of ordinary citizens carry any weight in a conflict that has resisted plans for peace by world leaders for so long?