The Netherlands has declared Israeli ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir persona non grata, barring them from entry over their calls for “ethnic cleansing” in Gaza.
In June, the Netherlands backed a failed Swedish proposal to impose EU sanctions on Finance Minister Smotrich and National Security Minister Ben-Gvir.
"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 released late Monday.
Smotrich responded on X, saying European leaders had succumbed to "the lies of radical Islam that is taking over" and "rising antisemitism."
Ben-Gvir said he would continue to act for Israel, even if he was banned from entering "all of Europe."
