Netherlands bars two hardline Israeli ministers
The Netherlands has declared Israel's finance and national security ministers persona non grata for inciting violence and urging ethnic cleansing in Gaza.
In June, the Netherlands backed a failed Swedish proposal to impose EU sanctions on Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.
"They repeatedly incited settler violence against Palestinians, promoted illegal settlement expansion, and called for ethnic cleansing in Gaza," Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp told parliament in a letter released late Monday.
Smotrich responded on X, saying European leaders had succumbed to "the lies of radical Islam that is taking over" and "rising antisemitism".
Ben-Gvir said he would continue to act for Israel, even if he was banned from entering "all of Europe".
"In a place where terrorism is tolerated and terrorists are welcomed, a Jewish minister from Israel is unwanted, terrorists are free, and Jews are boycotted," he wrote on X.
Veldkamp said the Netherlands wanted to "relieve the suffering of the population in Gaza" and was exploring further ways to contribute to humanitarian aid.
"Airdrops of food are relatively expensive and risky," he said.
"This is why the Netherlands is also taking steps to further support land-based aid delivery."
Aid drops resumed in Gaza on Sunday as Israel announced temporary humanitarian pauses in parts of the besieged territory.
Around 2.4 million Palestinians in Gaza are facing what UN aid agencies have warned is a deadly wave of starvation and malnutrition.
The UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification Initiative (IPC) said on Tuesday that famine is unfolding across much of Gaza, with thresholds breached and over 20,000 children treated for acute malnutrition since April.
Veldkamp said the Netherlands would push to suspend the trade element of the EU-Israel Association Agreement if Israel fails to meet its humanitarian obligations.
"The summons will also be used to remind Israel to comply with its obligations under international humanitarian law," he said.
After speaking by phone with Israeli President Isaac Herzog, Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof said the government's position was "crystal clear".
"The people of Gaza must be given immediate, unfettered, safe access to humanitarian aid," he said.
Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar said he had held a formal reprimand with the Dutch ambassador Marriet Schuurman in Jerusalem on Tuesday afternoon.
He said he told her that the Dutch government's policy towards Israel "fuels antisemitism in the Netherlands".
"I said that Israel will not surrender to jihadist forces and, on this occasion, wished the Netherlands success in its future confrontation with radical Islamist elements that have established themselves in its territory," he said on X.
"The Netherlands' intention to bring about a change in Israeli policy by applying pressure on it -- is rejected outright and doomed to fail."
The war in Gaza was sparked by Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
Israel's retaliatory campaign has killed 59,921 Palestinians, also mostly civilians, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.
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