Hawzah News Agency- Monday’s decision came as part of a raft of measures to pressure Israel over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, Dutch media reported. The Dutch government will also summon Israel’s ambassador to the Netherlands, Modi Ephraim, to denounce the “unbearable and indefensible” situation in the enclave.
In a letter to Dutch lawmakers quoted by local newspaper Algemeen Dagblad, the Netherlands’ Foreign Minister Caspar Valdekamp said the move against Smotrich and Ben Gvir came “because they have repeatedly incited violence by settlers against the Palestinian population and… called for ethnic cleansing in the Gaza Strip''.
The announcement is the latest sign of escalating tensions between Israel and the European Union, as well as the Netherlands specifically, as global concern over reports of starvation in Gaza remains high. On Monday, Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof and President Isaac Herzog disagreed publicly on social media over how to address the situation.
Two weeks ago, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar held meetings with EU officials to stave off sanctions on Israel in exchange for an increase in aid entering Gaza. But more recently, EU leaders have complained that Israel has not done enough, and are considering suspending Israel from a signature EU research funding program, a step Schoof said may be among “additional measures” his government could support.
On Tuesday, Sa’ar summoned Marriet Schuurman, the Dutch ambassador to Israel, for a reprimand at the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem over the steps the Netherlands is pursuing regarding Israel.
''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'', Ben Gvir posted on X.
Smotrich accused the Netherlands’ government of surrendering “to the lies of radical Islam''. He wrote regarding Europe that “Jews will not be able to live there in security in the future either'', just as they were not able to in the past.
Source: THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
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