Netherlands declares two Israeli ministers personae non gratae, bans entry

The Dutch government has officially declared two prominent Israeli ministers—Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir—as personae non gratae, effectively banning them from entering the Netherlands.

According to a letter sent by Wopke Hoekstra, head of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to the Dutch parliament and reported by NOS television, the decision comes amid growing concerns over the ministers’ roles in escalating violence in the Palestinian territories.

The document states that the ministers “have repeatedly incited violence against the Palestinian population, consistently advocated for the expansion of Jewish settlements in the West Bank, and called for ethnic cleansing in the Gaza Strip.”

In addition to the national ban, the Netherlands intends to have both ministers added to the Schengen Information System (SIS) database as “foreign nationals whose entry into the Schengen area is undesirable.”

This move would extend the travel restrictions to the entire Schengen Area, effectively barring them from entering any of the 26 European countries that comprise the zone.

By Vugar Khalilov