 "Israeli right-wing Knesset member Itamar Ben-Gvir (L) and Bezalel Smotrich (R) during the swearing-in ceremony for the new Israeli parliament the 25th Knesset in Jerusalem, 15 November 2022. File Photo/Reuters")
The Netherlands has sanctioned two extremist allies of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the war in the Gaza Strip.
The Netherlands has declared far-right Israeli ministers, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, as persona non grata.
“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 on Monday.
The development has come at a time when condemnation of the Israeli war in Gaza is rising by the day, particularly over the hunger crisis in the Palestinian enclave . Far-right leaders in Israel have frequently called for stopping the flow of aid into Gaza, taking the strip completely, and expelling all Palestinians.
Smotrich and Ben-Gvir dubbed the Dutch action as an act of antisemitism. While Smotrich said that European leaders had surrendered to “the lies of radical Islam that is taking over” and the “rising antisemitism”, Ben-Gvir said that “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”.
Rising backlash against Israeli extremists
Earlier in June, the Netherlands supported a Swedish proposal to impose sanctions on the far-right Israeli ministers under the umbrella of European Union (EU). The proposal could not get unanimous support within EU Foreign Affairs Council.
Last month, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Norway imposed financial sanction on Smotrich and Ben-Gvir.
Later in the day, the EU leaders will meet to consider a united response against these extremist leaders.
Under plans previously reported by the Associated Press, the Dutch government was supposed to summon the Israeli ambassador on Tuesday to urge Netanyahu to change course and “immediately take measures that lead to a substantial and rapid improvement in the humanitarian situation throughout the Gaza Strip”.