Netherlands Declares Israeli Ministers Persona Non Grata over ‘Ethnic Cleansing’ Rhetoric
The Netherlands has declared Israeli ministers Ben-Gvir and Smotrich persona non grata over calls for ethnic cleansing and incitement against Palestinians.
The Netherlands has barred far-right Israeli ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir from entering the country, declaring them persona non grata over their statements calling for the “ethnic cleansing” of Gaza, according to Dutch media reports.
Responding to a parliamentary inquiry, Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp defended the decision on Monday, citing the ministers’ repeated incitement of violence against Palestinians, promotion of illegal settlement expansion, and explicit support for ethnic cleansing in the Gaza Strip.
The Dutch government also confirmed it would summon Israel’s ambassador to protest what it described as the “unbearable and indefensible” situation in Gaza.
“Even if I’m banned from all of Europe, I’ll keep working for our country and demanding that we topple (the Palestinian group) Hamas and back our fighters,” Ben-Gvir wrote on X.
Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof said his government is weighing further national measures against Israel and is ready to support suspending Israel’s participation in the EU’s Horizon research program if Brussels finds that Israel is hindering humanitarian aid to Gaza.
Ben-Gvir has previously called for a “full siege” on Gaza, stating that “there are no uninvolved civilians in Gaza,” while Smotrich has advocated for reoccupying the enclave and reducing its Palestinian population, asserting that Israel should “stop being afraid of the word occupation.”
‘Threat to National Security’
The move follows the decision to designate Israel as a foreign state that poses a potential threat to its national security. The designation comes as part of a new report released by the Dutch National Coordinator for Security and Counterterrorism (NCTV), the country’s chief counterterrorism and security agency.
The report, titled Assessment of Threats from State Actors, highlights attempts by Israel to influence Dutch public opinion and political processes through disinformation campaigns.
According to the NCTV, these efforts include the dissemination of misleading information and covert lobbying tactics aimed at shaping perceptions and decisions within Dutch society.
One notable incident cited in the report involves a document distributed in 2023 by an Israeli government ministry to Dutch journalists and politicians via unofficial channels.
The document reportedly contained intrusive and inappropriate personal information about Dutch citizens. This occurred in the context of heightened tensions surrounding a rally in Amsterdam by fans of the Israeli football club Maccabi Tel Aviv.
In addition to these influence operations, the NCTV raised alarm over increasing threats from both Israel and the United States directed at the International Criminal Court (ICC), headquartered in The Hague.
The report warned that such pressure campaigns could interfere with the court’s independence and undermine its judicial functions. As the host country to the ICC and several other key international legal institutions, the Netherlands bears what the report called a “special responsibility” to protect these bodies from foreign intimidation and manipulation.
(PC, AA)