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The Netherlands has designated Israel’s finance and national security ministers as persona non grata due to their incitement of violence and calls for ethnic cleansing in Gaza.
In June, the Netherlands supported a Swedish initiative to impose EU sanctions on Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, which ultimately did not succeed.
“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 reacted on X, claiming that European leaders had given in to “the falsehoods of radical Islam that is gaining influence” and “increasing antisemitism.”
Ben-Gvir said that he would persist in his efforts for Israel, even if he were prohibited from entering “all of Europe.”
Veldkamp said that the Netherlands aimed to “alleviate the suffering of the population in Gaza” and was exploring additional ways to provide humanitarian assistance.
Aid deliveries resumed in Gaza on Sunday as Israel announced temporary humanitarian pauses in some areas of the besieged region. Approximately 2.4 million Palestinians in Gaza are facing what UN aid agencies have described as a lethal wave of starvation and malnutrition.
The UN-supported Integrated Food Security Phase Classification Initiative (IPC) reported on Tuesday that famine is setting in across much of Gaza, with critical thresholds being exceeded and over 20,000 children treated for severe malnutrition since April.
Veldkamp added that the Netherlands would advocate for suspending the trade element of the EU-Israel Association Agreement if Israel does not fulfil its humanitarian responsibilities.
After a phone conversation with Israeli President Isaac Herzog, Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof declared that the government’s stance was “crystal clear.”
“The people of Gaza must be given immediate, unfettered, safe access to humanitarian aid,” he said.
The conflict in Gaza was triggered by Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which resulted in the deaths of 1,219 individuals, the majority of whom were civilians, according to an AFP count based on official data.
Israel’s counteroffensive has led to the deaths of 59,921 Palestinians, primarily civilians, as reported by the health ministry in the Hamas-controlled region.
