The Dutch interim government has barred Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir from visiting the country because to their roles in what it called the “unbearable and indefensible” situation in Gaza.
In a letter to parliament, Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp declared that both ministers will be branded as “undesirable aliens in the Schengen system,” thereby preventing their admission into the Netherlands.
“The decision is based on their repeated incitement of settler violence against Palestinians, calls for illegal settlement expansion, and advocacy for ethnic cleansing in Gaza,” Veldkamp wrote.
The decision follows an emergency meeting in The Hague, where Prime Minister Dick Schoof, the three Deputy Prime Ministers Sophie Hermans, Mona Keijzer and Eddy van Hijum, as well as Veldkamp and Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans gathered, interrupting the summer recess, to agree on the measures amid growing domestic and international pressure.
As part of the meeting’s outcomes, the government committed €4.5 million in humanitarian aid to Gaza, including €1.5 million to the U.N. Office for Support Services and €3 million to the Red Cross, Veldkamp said in the letter.
He also spoke about restrictions on arms exports to Israel, stating it is now “virtually impossible” for any export licenses to be approved under current conditions.
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Following the meeting, Schoof said the Netherlands will push “for further European measures.
The Dutch interim government has prevented Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir from visiting the country because to their roles in what it called the “unbearable and indefensible” situation in Gaza.
In a letter to parliament, Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp stated that both ministers will be labeled as “undesirable aliens in the Schengen system,” barring their access to the Netherlands.
According to data from the Palestinian Ministry of Health, Israeli military actions in Gaza have killed at least 59,921 Palestinians, including around 17,400 children, and injured over 145,000 others as of July 28.
According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, at least 147 individuals, including 88 children, perished from malnutrition.
Israel launched its campaign in response to the Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Hamas militants that killed at least 1,139 people on Israeli territory.
The Netherlands’ counterterrorism agency also officially designated Israel as a foreign security threat earlier this month, citing covert attempts to influence Dutch politics and public discourse.
The designation stems from an incident following unrest tied to a November 2024 football match between Amsterdam-based Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv. Rather than going through official diplomatic channels, Israel’s Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism distributed a report directly to selected Dutch politicians and journalists — bypassing the Dutch government entirely.
That backchannel maneuver raised red flags in The Hague, with the ministers of justice and security and foreign affairs jointly describing the tactic as “unusual” and “undesirable.”
