Israel summons Dutch ambassador over travel ban on ministers

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar has summoned the Dutch ambassador to Israel, Mireille Schuurman, for a formal reprimand following the Netherlands’ decision to impose a travel ban on two senior Israeli officials.

The ambassador was summoned at 5:00 p.m. local time at the Israeli Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem, according to a ministry spokesperson, Caliber.Az reports via Israeli media. 

The diplomatic tension follows a move by the Dutch government to bar far-right Israeli ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich from entering the Netherlands. The Dutch authorities cited incitement to violence and support for ethnic cleansing as grounds for the ban.

By Sabina Mammadli