The Dutch caretaker government has barred Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir from entering the country over their roles in what it described as the “unbearable and indefensible” situation in Gaza.
In a letter to parliament Monday, Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp announced that both ministers will be designated as “undesirable aliens in the Schengen system,” effectively prohibiting their entry into the Netherlands.
“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,” Veldkamp wrote.
A spokesperson for Veldkamp confirmed that the minister will also personally summon the Israeli ambassador on Tuesday. “Later today our minister will also decide whether he wants to support the suspension of the trade provisions of the EU-Israel association agreement,” the spokesperson added.
The decision follows an emergency meeting in The Hague on Monday, where Prime Minister Dick Schoof, the three Deputy Prime Ministers Sophie Hermans, Mona Keijzer and Eddy van Hijum, as well as Veldkamp and Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans gathered, interrupting the summer recess, to agree on the measures amid growing domestic and international pressure.
As part of the meeting’s outcomes, the government committed €4.5 million in humanitarian aid to Gaza, including €1.5 million to the U.N. Office for Support Services and €3 million to the Red Cross, Veldkamp said in the letter. He also talked about restrictions on arms exports to Israel, stating it is now “virtually impossible” for any export licenses to be approved under current conditions.
Following the meeting, Schoof said the Netherlands will push “for further European measures, for example in the realm of trade,” as the EU prepares to review its aid agreement with Israel on Tuesday.
On Monday, the European Commission proposed to partially suspend Israel’s participation in its flagship research and development program Horizon Europe, after the EU found in June that Israel was breaching its human rights obligations under the association agreement with the EU.
Schoof also said he had informed Israeli President Isaac Herzog of the Dutch government’s intention to press the EU for further measures against Israel. In response, Herzog said it would be a “HUGE mistake if the EU takes such steps,” and accused the Netherlands of ignoring the plight of Israeli hostages still held by Hamas.
As of July 28, Israeli military actions in Gaza have killed at least 59,921 people, including around 17,400 children, and injured more than 145,000 people, according to figures from the Palestinian Ministry of Health. At least 147 people, including 88 children, have died of starvation, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
Israel launched its campaign in response to the Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Hamas militants that killed at least 1,139 people on Israeli territory.
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