The Netherlands has banned far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir from entering the country, the latest Western nation to bar the pair over their rhetoric on Gaza and the West Bank.

Monday’s decision came as part of a raft of measures to pressure Israel over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, Dutch media reported. The Dutch government will also summon Israel’s ambassador to the Netherlands, Modi Ephraim, to denounce the “unbearable and indefensible” situation in the enclave.

In a letter to Dutch lawmakers quoted by local newspaper Algemeen Dagblad, the Netherlands’ Foreign Minister Caspar Valdekamp said the move against Smotrich and Ben Gvir came “because they have repeatedly incited violence by settlers against the Palestinian population and… called for ethnic cleansing in the Gaza Strip.”

The announcement is the latest sign of escalating tensions between Israel and the European Union, as well as the Netherlands specifically, as global concern over reports of starvation in Gaza remains high. On Monday, Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof and President Isaac Herzog disagreed publicly on social media over how to address the situation.

Two weeks ago, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar held meetings with EU officials to stave off sanctions on Israel in exchange for an increase in aid entering Gaza. But more recently, EU leaders have complained that Israel has not done enough, and are considering suspending Israel from a signature EU research funding program, a step Schoof said may be among “additional measures” his government could support.

On Tuesday, Sa’ar summoned Marriet Schuurman, the Dutch........

© The Times of Israel