Netherlands bans far-right Israeli ministers as EU considers sanctions over Gaza

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The Netherlands has banned two far-right Israeli ministers from entering the country and the European Union has proposed suspending Israel from a lucrative tech investment program as frustration mounts over worsening conditions in Gaza.

The ban targets 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 lawmakers along with other measures, declaring “The war in Gaza must stop.”

The pair are champions of the Israeli settlement movement 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 suspending 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 need 55% of the bloc’s 27-member nations.

The €900 million investment program is focused on small businesses and “disruptive innovations” that have “potential dual-use applications, such as in cybersecurity, drones, and artificial intelligence,” the commission said in a statement.

It said the partial suspension of Israeli companies from applying for grants or equity investments worth €200 million annually is a targeted and reversible action and keeps intact Israel’s access to roughly two-thirds of the program that is for civilian use.

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 tasked 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 pauses.

The suspension is one of 10 options presented by the commission to member states. Other steps could be suspending 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 change course on Israeli policy. Last week, thousands demonstrated at train stations across the country, 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 change 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 said European leaders were surrendering to “the lies of radical Islam” and Jews may not be able to live safely in Europe in the future.

Ben-Gvir said in Europe “a Jewish minister from Israel is unwanted, terrorists are free, and Jews are boycotted,” but he will continue to act.

Israel says Hamas is the reason aid isn’t reaching Gaza

After international pressure, Israel over the weekend announced humanitarian pauses, airdrops and other measures meant to allow more aid to Gaza, but Palestinians say little or nothing has changed on the ground. The U.N. has described it as a one-week scale-up of aid and Israel has not said how long the latest measures would last.

Israel asserts Hamas is the reason aid isn’t reaching Palestinians in Gaza and accuses its militants of siphoning aid to support its rule in the territory. The U.N. denies aid looting is systematic and says it lessens or ends 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 accused of using “starvation as a method of warfare” by restricting humanitarian aid and of intentionally targeting 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.