The Netherlands has become the seventh country to bar far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir from entering the country, labelling them persona non grata for their calls of “ethnic cleansing” in Gaza, according to Dutch media reports.
In response to a parliamentary inquiry, Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp justified the ban on late Monday, saying the two Israeli ministers have "repeatedly incited violence against the Palestinian population, persistently advocated for the expansion of illegal settlements and called for ethnic cleansing in the Gaza Strip."
The Dutch government also said in the letter published on Monday that it will summon Israel's ambassador to denounce the "unbearable and indefensible" situation in Gaza.
Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof said his government was “considering taking national measures” against Israel and is prepared to support suspending its participation in the EU’s Horizon research programme if Brussels determines that Israel is obstructing humanitarian aid access to Gaza.
In provocative statements, Ben-Gvir has demanded a “full siege,” blocking aid and declared “there are no uninvolved civilians in Gaza.” Smotrich has called for the reoccupation of Gaza and reducing its Palestinian population, saying Israel should "stop being afraid of the word occupation.”
Their rhetoric has been widely condemned as incitement to violence and genocide.
In total, seven countries have so far banned Smotrich and Ben-Gvir from entering their territories, citing their roles in inciting violence against Palestinians and promoting illegal Jewish settlement expansion in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
The Netherlands and Slovenia are the only two EU member states to do so. In addition, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Norway have banned entry for both the Israeli ministers.
Israel has imposed a blockade on Gaza for 18 years. But since March, it has shut down all crossings, blocking the entry of most aid convoys as its military bombs and kills the Palestinians.
According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, at least 147 people have died of starvation since October 2023, including 88 children.
Israel has killed nearly 60,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, in Gaza since October 2023.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the besieged Palestinian enclave.
