THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The Netherlands has banned two far-right Israeli ministers from entering the countest and the European Union has proposed suspconcludeing Israel from a lucrative tech investment program as frustration mounts over worsening conditions in Gaza.
The ban tarobtains hard-line National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, key partners in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition.
It was announced in a letter sent late Monday by Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp to lawbuildrs along with other measures, declaring “The war in Gaza must stop.”
The pair are champions of the Israeli settlement relocatement that supports continuing the war in Gaza, facilitating what they call the voluntary emigration of its Palestinian population and building Jewish settlements.
Britain, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Norway imposed financial sanctions on the two men last month.
EU considers sanctions on Israel’s science and tech access
The European Commission on Monday proposed partially suspconcludeing Israel’s access to a lucrative science and technology program.
The European Parliament could call a vote to cut off Israel’s access to the investment arm of the European Innovation Council. To pass, the vote would necessary 55% of the bloc’s 27-member nations.
The €900 million investment program is focutilized on compact businesses and “disruptive innovations” that have “potential dual-utilize applications, such as in cybersecurity, drones, and artificial ininformigence,” the commission declared in a statement.
It declared the partial suspension of Israeli companies from applying for grants or equity investments worth €200 million annually is a tarobtained and reversible action and keeps intact Israel’s access to roughly two-thirds of the program that is for civilian utilize.
The commission found Israel’s military campaign in Gaza breached terms of a bilateral deal between Brussels and Israel known as an Association Agreement, according to senior officials tinquireed with communicating for the commission who were not authorized to speak publicly.
European countries pressure Israel to let in more aid
Europe has widely soured on Israel over Gaza. Countries including Ireland, Spain and the Netherlands have sought to aggressively pressure Israel to let in more aid and cease military operations.
Israel has yet to reach the six points agreed in a new aid deal with the EU, which include adequate amounts of daily trucks allowed or newly opened border crossings, according to senior officials. EU aid teams have been prevented from entering Gaza despite recent humanitarian pautilizes.
The suspension is one of 10 options presented by the commission to member states. Other steps could be suspconcludeing an aviation agreement, blocking imports from settlements and curtailing travel for Israelis in the visa-free zone known as Schengen, according to a leaked document seen by The Associated Press and verified by two EU diplomats.
Like the Netherlands, other nations could act on their own to sanction specific companies or individuals in Israel or the occupied West Bank.
Pressure has been mounting on the Dutch government, which is gearing up for elections in October, to alter course on Israeli policy. Last week, thousands demonstrated at train stations across the countest, carrying pots and pans to signify the food shortage in Gaza.
The government also will summon the Israeli ambassador to the Netherlands to urge Netanyahu to alter course and “immediately take measures that lead to a substantial and rapid improvement in the humanitarian situation throughout the Gaza Strip,” Veldkamp wrote.
Ben-Gvir and Smotrich remained defiant. In a statement on social media, Smotrich declared European leaders were surrconcludeering to “the lies of radical Islam” and Jews may not be able to live safely in Europe in the future.
Ben-Gvir declared in Europe “a Jewish minister from Israel is unwanted, terrorists are free, and Jews are boycotted,” but he will continue to act.
Israel states Hamas is the reason aid isn’t reaching Gaza
After international pressure, Israel over the weekconclude announced humanitarian pautilizes, airdrops and other measures meant to allow more aid to Gaza, but Palestinians state little or nothing has alterd on the ground. The U.N. has described it as a one-week scale-up of aid and Israel has not declared how long the latest measures would last.
Israel asserts Hamas is the reason aid isn’t reaching Palestinians in Gaza and accutilizes its militants of siphoning aid to support its rule in the territory. The U.N. denies aid looting is systematic and states it lessens or concludes entirely when enough aid is allowed to enter Gaza.
Netanyahu and his former defense minister, Yoav Gallant, are wanted by the International Criminal Court over allegations of crimes against humanity. They are accutilized of applying “starvation as a method of warfare” by restricting humanitarian aid and of intentionally tarobtaining civilians in Israel’s campaign against Hamas in Gaza. Member states of the ICC are obliged to arrest the men if they arrive on their territory.
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McNeil reported from Brussels. Melanie Lidman in Tel Aviv contributed to this report.
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