Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs Caspar Veldkamp announced to his country’s parliament that, from September 10th, Israeli ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich will be banned from entering all 29 member states of the Schengen Agreement.
The decision was announced during a parliamentary session focused on the war in Gaza and the two-state solution.
Earlier, certain European Union (EU) states had imposed entry bans on the two extremist ministers known for their fascist behavior toward Palestinians and for decisions that undermine human rights.
The last country to do so was Spain, which on Tuesday banned Smotrich and Ben Gvir from entering. Five weeks earlier, the Netherlands, as well as Slovenia and Belgium, had done the same.
Even earlier, on June 10th, the United Kingdom (UK), Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Norway sanctioned Smotrich and Ben Gvir because of “their repeated incitement to violence against Palestinian communities.”
After Belgium banned entry to the two Israeli ministers, they also worked on ensuring that the bans be extended to all 29 European states that are members of the Schengen area, given that there are no border controls between those states. The address of the Dutch minister confirms that Belgium succeeded in this.
The media recently reported that the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague has prepared requests for arrest warrants for Ben Gvir and Smotrich on charges of apartheid.
