Dutch summon Israeli ambassador, impose travel ban on ministers

Ammar Awad
Ammar Awad
Jul 29, 2025
FILE PHOTO: Itamar Ben-Gvir, Minister of National Security of Israel, shouts at the opening of the 25th Knesset session marking the anniversary of the “Iron Swords” war on Monday, in Jerusalem, October 28, 2024. DEBBIE HILL/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Itamar Ben-Gvir, Minister of National Security of Israel, shouts at the opening of the 25th Knesset session marking the anniversary of the “Iron Swords” war on Monday, in Jerusalem, October 28, 2024. DEBBIE HILL/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo — DEBBIE HILL

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) -The Dutch government will summon Israel's ambassador to the Netherlands to denounce the "unbearable and indefensable" situation in Gaza and has imposed travel bans on two far-right Israeli cabinet ministers, it said in a letter published late on Monday.

Israeli government ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich will no longer be allowed to enter the Netherlands, which accuses them of repeatedly inciting violence against Palestinians and calling for an "ethnic cleansing" of the Gaza strip.

The Dutch decision follows similar moves last month by Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Norway.

The government said it supported the EU's recommendation to curb Israeli access to its flagship research funding programme and said it would press for European trade sanctions if Israel was found to be in breach of its agreement with the European Union on increasing aid supplies.

(Reporting by Bart Meijer and Stephanie van den Berg; Editing by Michael Perry)