Netherlands imposes entry ban on Israel’s far-right ministers Smotrich, Ben Gvir over Gaza

Jerusalem: As part of measures to place pressure on Israel over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, the Netherlands has banned far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir from entering the country, as per reports.

In a letter to Netherlands lawmakers, the Netherlands’ Foreign Minister Caspar Valdekamp said the decision that has been taken against Smotrich and Ben Gvir “is because they have repeatedly incited violence by settlers against the Palestinian population and… called for ethnic cleansing in the Gaza Strip”, The Times of Israel reported, citing local newspaper Algemeen Dagblad.

Reacting to the decision, Ben Gvir, in a post on X, said: “Even if I’m banned from all of Europe, I’ll keep working for our country and demanding that we topple Hamas and back our fighters. Our enemies are violent, murderous rapists. But in Europe… the one who goes on the offensive is guilty. In a place where terrorism is tolerated and terrorists are welcome, a Jewish minister from Israel is unwelcome. Terrorists are free and Jews are boycotted.”

The decision to ban Ben Gvir and Smotrich from entering the Netherlands comes a day after the Netherlands’ Prime Minister Dick Schoof said that his government was “considering taking national measures” against Israel, apart from supporting a European Union proposal to partially suspend funding for Israeli researchers.

Last week, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) announced that the military will carry out a “local tactical pause of military activity” in densely populated areas of the Gaza Strip, starting from 10 a.m. (local time) to 8 p.m. (local time). The military said that the “pause” will be implemented “every day until further notice” in areas where the IDF is not currently carrying out operations with ground troops, including Deir al-Balah, al-Mawasi and Gaza City.

According to the military, the decision has been taken “in accordance with directives from the political echelon, and as part of the IDF’s ongoing effort, led by COGAT, to increase the scope of humanitarian aid entering the Gaza Strip”.

The Israeli military said that the decision was coordinated with the UN and international organisations following discussions regarding the matter. In addition, the IDF said “secure routes” will be designated from 6 a.m. (local time) to 11 p.m. (local time) to enable the safe passage of United Nations and humanitarian aid organisation convoys delivering and distributing food and medicine among the people in the Gaza Strip.

IANS