The Netherlands announced on Tuesday that Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich are officially banned from entering all 29 Schengen countries.

The Dutch government, which had announced its intention to ban the two Israeli ministers earlier in July, said they have now been officially declared “persona non grata” (unwelcome person), citing “exceptional circumstances” related to Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza.

The ban has been entered into the Schengen Information System, obliging all border authorities across Europe to deny entry to the ministers.

However, Haaretz reported that some governments might instruct their border authorities to disregard the ban, potentially leading to inconsistencies in enforcement across the European Union.

Wave of international bans

The Dutch government’s latest decision follows a similar move by Spain, which banned Ben-Gvir and Smotrich after Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar announced restrictions on two Spanish ministers from entering the country.

Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said the decision was a retaliatory measure, targeting officials “directly involved in genocide, human rights violations, or war crimes.”

The move is part of broader Spanish measures announced by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, aimed at pressuring Israel over its ongoing war on Gaza.

Spain has imposed eight of the nine measures, including an arms embargo, banning ships and aircraft carrying weapons or military fuel to Israel from using Spanish ports or airspace. Madrid is also mulling a permanent arms embargo to Tel Aviv.

Earlier this year, Slovenia became the first EU member to declare Ben-Gvir and Smotrich persona non grata, accusing them of making “genocidal statements.”

Slovenia’s government said both ministers, who are supporting illegal Jewish settler groups in the occupied West Bank, had actively incited violence against Palestinians during Israel’s raids and attacks.

The Balkan nation also imposed a comprehensive weapons embargo on Israel, banning the import, export, and transit of arms, citing EU inaction.

Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Norway, and the UK have already announced formal sanctions on Ben-Gvir and Smotrich for “inciting violence against Palestinians” in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.

Genocidal rhetoric

Both Israeli far-right ministers are notorious for incendiary rhetoric, often condemned internationally as incitement to violence and even genocide.

Ben-Gvir has demanded a “full siege” on Gaza, blocking aid and declaring that “there are no uninvolved civilians” in the enclave where Israel has killed more than 64,000 Palestinians.

Smotrich, meanwhile, has openly called for the reoccupation of Gaza and the reduction of its Palestinian population, insisting that Israel should “stop being afraid of the word occupation.”

In line with this hardline stance, Smotrich urged a sweeping Israeli response after Palestinian resistance forces attacked a bus stop in occupied East Jerusalem, killing an Israeli soldier and five others. “The Palestinian Authority [PA] must disappear from the map, and the villages from which the terrorists came should look like Rafah and Beit Hanoun,” he declared.

His remarks tied back to his earlier proposals for Israel to annex 82 percent of the occupied West Bank, a move he presented as a counter to Western countries considering recognition of Palestine. He has also pressed the Netanyahu government to annex Gaza entirely — a besieged enclave where 1.6 million Palestinians remain trapped without food, water, or other essentials — and has repeatedly endorsed the forced displacement of Palestinians.

Ben-Gvir has mirrored this combative approach through symbolic acts. During a prison visit last month, he stood before large photos of Gaza’s destruction displayed for Palestinian inmates. Pointing to one image, he claimed a prisoner had recognised his home, before adding: “This is how it’s supposed to look.”

Just days earlier, he taunted jailed Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti, warning that those who attack Israelis “will be wiped out.”

The widening list of countries moving to restrict Ben-Gvir and Smotrich underscores growing international alarm over Israel’s far-right leadership and its role in the Gaza war.

While enforcement of the bans may vary across Europe, the measures signal a broader shift in how global powers are seeking to hold individual Israeli officials accountable for rhetoric and policies widely denounced as fueling violence and deepening the humanitarian crisis.