The Netherlands bans Ben-Gvir and Smotrich from entering 29 European countries

The Netherlands banned Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich from entering 27 European countries, after they were placed on a list of “persona non grata”.

Ben-Gvir and Smotrich incite violence against the Palestinian people in their occupied territories.

They lead two extreme right-wing parties, “Jewish Power” and “Religious Zionism,” respectively, which consistently call for the annihilation of Palestinians.

The official Israeli Broadcasting Corporation reported on Wednesday, “The Netherlands announced that Ministers Ben-Gvir and Smotrich won’t be allowed to enter the territories of the 29 countries that signed the Schengen Agreement, including Germany, Austria, Poland, and the Netherlands itself”.

The European Union comprises 27 member states, while the Schengen Area comprises 29 European countries… The Schengen Agreement was signed in 1985 and entered into force in 1995… It abolishes border controls between member states, providing broad freedom of movement within the area.

The broadcaster added that “Dutch Foreign Minister Casper Waldkamp said the decision comes after repeated statements by the two ministers inciting violence against Palestinians”.

These statements also “encourage the expansion of settlements in the West Bank and justify steps calling for ethnic cleansing in the Gaza Strip,” according to what the commission attributed to Waldkamp.

The United Nations affirms that settlement construction in the occupied Palestinian territories is illegal and undermines the possibility of implementing the two-state solution.

It has been calling for a halt to this construction for decades, but to no avail.

In a related development, a pro-Palestinian organization in Britain filed a lawsuit demanding an arrest warrant for Israeli President Isaac Herzog over the genocide in the Gaza Strip.

Ismail Patel, chairman of the Friends of al Aqsa group, said in a statement Tuesday that the group had initiated criminal proceedings against Herzog for “incitement to indiscriminate attacks against civilians in Gaza”.

He added that the organization had submitted a request to the Attorney General’s Office to issue an arrest warrant for Herzog.

He continued, “The request and accusations are based on two statements made by Herzog on October 12 and 15, 2023… Israeli military officials have repeated some of these statements, regarding indiscriminate attacks on civilians and civilian facilities in Gaza”.

Its noteworthy that Herzog will pay an official visit to Britain from September 10 to 12, and will hold official meetings there.