Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar held a formal reprimand conversation Tuesday evening with the Dutch ambassador to Israel, Mireille Schuurman, following the Netherlands' decision to ban Israeli ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich from entering the country. Sa’ar’s personal involvement in the meeting was considered unusual, and the high level of the reprimand underscored how seriously Israel views the matter.
Clashes between police and pro-Palestinian rioters in Amsterdam one year ago
(Video: Reuters)
Earlier in the day, the Dutch government decided to bar the ministers’ entry and to summon Israel’s ambassador in The Hague. “The situation in Gaza is intolerable and indefensible,” wrote Dutch Foreign Minister Kaspar Veldkamp in a letter to parliament following an emergency meeting attended by Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof. That meeting reportedly led to a diplomatic confrontation with Israeli President Isaac Herzog.
According to Sa’ar’s statement, he told the ambassador that Dutch policy fuels antisemitism and wished the Netherlands “good luck” in its future dealings with radical Islamist elements now entrenched in its territory. Sa’ar added that pressure should have been directed at Hamas, not Israel, and stressed that the Dutch foreign minister is well aware of Israel’s humanitarian efforts in Gaza.
“The foreign minister expressed regret that the outgoing Dutch government has chosen to trade a long-standing friendship with Israel for open hostility toward it—precisely in Israel’s time of need—apparently due to political considerations. This attitude will not remain unilateral and without response,” Sa’ar’s office said in a statement.
During the emergency session in The Hague, attended by Schoof, Veldkamp, and Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans, the Dutch government also expressed support for increasing humanitarian aid to Gaza, particularly via land routes. The Netherlands pledged €1.5 million to a UN agency and an additional €3 million to the Red Cross.
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Following the meeting, Schoof wrote that the Netherlands leans toward supporting Israel’s suspension from Horizon Europe, the EU’s flagship research program. He said he conveyed this position to Herzog in a phone call—though Herzog later denied the claim.
He posted on the X platform: "The government’s goal is crystal clear: the people of Gaza must be given immediate, unfettered, safe access to humanitarian aid. If the EU decides tomorrow that Israel is not in compliance with the relevant agreements on this, the Netherlands supports the plan to suspend Israeli participation in the EU research programme Horizon. If that proves to be the case, tomorrow in Brussels the Netherlands will also press for further European measures, for example in the realm of trade." << Follow Ynetnews on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Telegram >>