Two Israeli ministers, declared as undesirable by an EU state. The prohibition could extend throughout the Schengen space
Bezalel Smotrich, photo: Gil Cohen-Magen / AFP / Profimedia
The Netherlands on Monday declared the Israeli Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben-Gvir, and that of Finance, Bezalel Smotrich, “Personae Non Gultae” and “undesirable foreigners”, announced the head of Dutch diplomacy, Caspar Veldkamp, in a letter to the humanitarian situation in Gaza, AFP reports.
“The cabinet has decided to declare Israelian ministers and Ben-Gvir Persators non Gultae and committed to record them as undesirable foreigners in the Schengen SIS registration system,” said Caspar Veldkamp.
The two Israeli ministers, considered extremists, “have repeatedly incited violence against the Palestinian population, constantly support the expansion of illegal colonies and call for ethnic treatment in the Gaza Strip,” continued the head of Dutch diplomacy.
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In June, the Netherlands held the Swedish initiative to sanction the far -right Israeli ministers within the EU Foreign Affairs Council, but the decision was not unanimous.
After announcing these sanctions, Itamar Ben-Gvir, the Israeli Minister of National Security, told X that “in a place where terrorism is tolerated and where terrorists are welcome, a Jewish minister of Israel is undesirable, terrorists are free and Jews are boycotted.”
“Judging from the European hypocrisy, the surrender of its leaders in the face of the lies of radical Islam that take control and anti -Semitism growing (from Europe), the Jews will not be able to live safely in the future,” commented the Minister of Finance Bezalel Smotrich.
In his letter, Caspar Veldkamp expressed the wish of the Netherlands to “alleviate the suffering of the population in Gaza” and to examine the possibilities to contribute to the help granted. “Food parachuting is a relatively expensive and risky help … that's why the Netherlands takes measures to support the earthly assistance,” he said.
About 2.4 million Palestinians are besieged in the Gaza by Israel from the beginning of the war triggered by an attack by the Palestinian Islamist Movement on October 7, 2023 on the Israeli territory. In recent weeks, the UN and NGOs have warned the risk of generalized hunger in the territory. On Sunday, aid parachutes were resumed, while Israel declared a tactical break for humanitarian struggles in certain areas.
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The Dutch minister also indicated that if Israel does not fulfill his humanitarian obligations, the Netherlands will insist on suspending the commercial part of the Association between the EU and Israel. “This withdrawal will also be used to remind Israel to respect its obligations under the international humanitarian law,” Caspar Veldkamp continued, qualifying the current situation as “intolerable and unjustifiable.”
