Netherlands decides to ban Israeli ministers Ben Gvir and Smotrich from entering its territories

The Dutch government announced today, Tuesday, that it "has decided to ban Israeli ministers Itamar Ben Gvir and Yisrael Smotrich from entering its territories on the grounds of encouraging violence by settlers against Palestinians".

Dutch Foreign Minister Kaspar Feldkamp said in a letter to the Dutch parliament, "The Dutch Cabinet has decided to declare Israeli ministers Smotrich and Ben Gvir as persona non grata, and committed to including them in the list of undesirable foreigners in the Schengen Information System".

The minister confirmed that "this decision was made because Smotrich and Ben Gvir repeatedly incited settlers to violence against Palestinians, defended the expansion of illegal settlements, and advocated ethnic cleansing in the Gaza Strip".

According to Israeli Broadcasting Corporation, the Netherlands accused the ministers of "calling for the expansion of illegal settlements and advocating for ethnic cleansing in the Gaza Strip".

The corporation added that "the Israeli ambassador in The Hague will be summoned for a reprimand session at the Dutch Foreign Ministry office", noting that Ben Gvir commented saying "terrorists are free and Jews are forbidden".