The Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs is summoning the Dutch ambassador to Israel. The reason is the announced entry ban for two Israeli ministers that the outgoing cabinet announced on Tuesday.
Israeli Minister Gideon Saar is summoning Dutch ambassador Marriet Schuurman, after the outgoing cabinet increased the pressure on Israel.
Outgoing Minister Caspar Veldkamp (Foreign Affairs) wrote in a letter to the House of Representatives that the cabinet is imposing an entry ban against the extremist Israeli ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir.
The ever-worsening situation in the Gaza Strip was the reason for the entry ban. The cabinet calls that situation “intolerable and indefensible.”
Earlier on Tuesday, the Israeli embassy in The Hague called Veldkamp’s decision a “historical mistake.” “The government seems to have forgotten how this war started,” the embassy wrote on X.
The Netherlands had previously summoned the Israeli ambassador
In April, the cabinet also summoned the Israeli ambassador to the Netherlands. Veldkamp then wanted clarification about Israeli attacks on a medical aid convoy.
The Netherlands has been slowly but surely increasing the pressure on Israel in recent days. After a cry for help from 111 aid organizations about the dire situation in Gaza, several parties in the House of Representatives spoke out. This led to the outgoing cabinet now imposing national sanctions on Israel.
Later today, EU member states will decide whether Israel has violated the agreements made about the humanitarian situation in Gaza. If that is the case, European sanctions will also follow. Outgoing Prime Minister Dick Schoof has already said that he will support such sanctions.