Reference News Network, July 30 report - According to AFP, on July 29, the Dutch Foreign Minister announced in a letter regarding the humanitarian situation in Gaza that the Dutch government has listed Israeli Interior Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich as "unwanted persons."
Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp stated, "The government has decided to declare Israeli ministers Smotrich and Ben-Gvir as unwanted persons and is committed to registering them as unwanted foreigners in the Schengen Information System."
The report said that in a letter addressed to the parliament and made public on the evening of the 28th, Veldkamp pointed out that the two Israeli ministers "have repeatedly incited Jewish settlers to commit violence against Palestinians, continuously advocated for the expansion of illegal settlements, and called for ethnic cleansing in Gaza."
On the afternoon of July 29, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar summoned the Dutch ambassador in Jerusalem and responded by stating that the Dutch government's policies toward Israel "foster anti-Semitism in the Netherlands."
Saar emphasized on the social media platform X: "I clearly stated that Israel will not yield to the jihadist forces, and I wish the Netherlands future success in dealing with Islamic extremists within its borders."
He added: "The attempt by the Netherlands to pressure Israel into changing its policies will be firmly rejected and is destined to fail."
According to the report, the Netherlands had supported Sweden's initiative in EU institutions in June to sanction Israeli far-right ministers, but the initiative failed to reach consensus within the EU.
The Netherlands is the second EU country after Slovenia to impose such sanctions on Smotrich and Ben-Gvir. (Translated by Zhao Kexin)
Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7532732819215368746/
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