The Dutch government has barred Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir from entering the country over their ties to the situation in Gaza, Politico reports.
In the letter on the 28th of July to parliament, Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp said the two ministers would be declared personae non gratae in the Schengen area, effectively barring them from entering the Netherlands. Veldkamp wrote: “The decision is based on their repeated incitement of settler violence against Palestinians, calls for illegal settlement expansion, and advocacy for ethnic cleansing in Gaza.”
A spokesman for Veldkamp confirmed that the Israeli ambassador would also be summoned to the minister on the 29th of July, and added that the minister would also consider supporting the severance of trade ties.
Veldkamp, Dutch Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans and Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof met with three deputies in The Hague on the 28th of July, breaking their summer recess to discuss how to deal with the escalating tensions.
In a letter, Veldkamp said that the meeting had decided to provide humanitarian aid to Gaza worth 4.5 million euros
and also discussed restrictions on arms exports to Israel, adding that in this situation each export permit would need to be specifically approved. The minister also said that the Netherlands would encourage other European countries to take measures, for example in the area of trade.
The Dutch minister has also informed Israeli President Isaac Herzog of the decision to urge the EU to adopt stricter sanctions against Israel. To this, Herzog responded that taking such a step would be a huge mistake on the part of the EU, and accused the Netherlands of ignoring the suffering of Israelis still held captive by Hamas.
The European Commission has already decided to limit Israel’s ability to participate in research projects under Horizon Europe.
Read also: Israel faces exclusion from EU research funds