HOME > AFP-JIJI PRESS NEWS JOURNAL > Article
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.
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.
(2025/07/29 19:06)
Click Here for Japanese TranslationAFP-JIJI PRESS NEWS JOURNAL
- 07/31 17:08 'Ours forever'-- would-be Israeli settlers march on Gaza
- 07/31 17:03 Trump's former personal lawyer confirmed as US judge
- 07/31 17:00 China summons chip giant Nvidia over alleged security risks
- 07/31 15:12 Seoul breaks century-long record with 22 'tropical nights' in July
- 07/31 15:10 Thousands honour Ozzy Osbourne at UK hometown funeral procession
- 07/31 15:06 Gaza civil defence says 30 killed in food queue by Israeli fire
- 07/30 17:52 Trump's MAGA base defies conservative pro-Israel doctrine
- 07/30 17:46 Russian TV shows buildings swept away as tsunami hits coast
- 07/30 17:30 New York mass shooter blamed NFL for his brain injuries
- 07/30 17:27 Thailand accuses Cambodia of 'flagrant violation' of truce
- 07/30 16:52 Australia to ban under-16s from YouTube
- 07/30 16:49 Trump says fell out with Epstein because he was taking Mar-a-Lago spa staff
- 07/29 21:26 Fatigued Afghan taxi drivers take novel approach to AC
- 07/29 19:06 Netherlands bars two hardline Israeli ministers
- 07/29 19:04 Forceful pleas at UN for two-state solution for Israel, Palestinians
- 07/29 17:22 Osaka to work with Wiktorowski on trial after Mouratoglou split
- 07/29 17:20 Trump warns of 'real starvation' in Gaza as aid deliveries pick up
- 07/29 17:18 Israeli settlers attack West Bank Christian village
- 07/28 18:07 George Lucas brings the force to Comic-Con in historic first visit
- 07/28 18:01 World's smallest snake makes big comeback
- 07/28 17:52 Urgent need for 'global approach' on AI regulation-- UN tech chief
- 07/28 17:46 NFL players, employees fined for selling Super Bowl tickets-- reports
- 07/28 17:44 Fake AI photos of Trump with Epstein flood internet
- 07/28 17:41 Food airdropped into Gaza as Israel says opening aid routes
- 07/25 18:23 Google ordered to pay Argentine pictured naked in his yard
- 07/25 18:21 China's premier tells EU leaders 'we can't afford' massive industrial subsidies
- 07/25 17:29 French holiday camp accuses Vueling of discrimination against Jewish teens
- 07/25 17:26 Amnesty accuses Iran of firing cluster munitions at Israel
- 07/25 15:43 White House lashes out at 'South Park' Trump parody
- 07/24 17:30 World's top court paves way for climate reparations
- 07/24 15:28 Pacific nation ponders taking asylum seekers from US
- 07/24 15:25 White House pushes Obama 'coup' story to distract from Epstein
- 07/24 15:22 North Korea's Kim urges troops to prepare 'for real war'
- 07/23 18:05 More than 80% of Tuvalu seeks Australian climate visa
- 07/23 18:03 Republicans seek to rename opera house after Melania Trump
- 07/23 17:23 Russia seeks to fine web users searching for content deemed 'extremist'
- 07/23 16:23 Interpol lifts red notice for anti-whaling campaigner Paul Watson