Israeli FM blasts Dutch anti-Israel policies, may interfere with hostage deal

Sa’ar: “The pressure should have been directed at Hamas and not at Israel.”

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar summoned Dutch Ambassador to Israel Marriët Schuurman for a formal reprimand in Jerusalem.

In a statement issued by Sa’ar, he said the reason for the meeting was to address grievances concerning “the Dutch government’s decisions to take measures against Israel, including against its right to defend itself and against ministers in its government.”

Although the ministers weren’t mentioned by name in the statement, the Netherlands announced a ban on Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir from entering the country because of statements they made about Gaza and Judea and Samaria.

Sa’ar told Schuurman that the Dutch government’s policy toward Israel fuels antisemitism in the Netherlands—the kind of Jew-hatred that “fueled the pogroms that took place on the streets of Amsterdam against Israelis last November.”

The foreign minister was referencing riots that took place on the streets of Amsterdam and violence directed against Israeli fans of the Maccabi soccer team.

When discussing the incident, the mayor of Amsterdam, Femke Halsema, said she regretted using the word “pogrom” to refer to the incident.

In a press conference, she said, “I saw how the word ‘pogrom’ has turned very political — into propaganda, in fact,” adding that “the government of Israel speaks about a ‘Palestinian pogrom on the streets of Amsterdam.’”

Sa’ar said that “the pressure should have been directed at Hamas and not at Israel.”

He added that the Netherlands is aware of the efforts Israel was making to alleviate the humanitarian crisis and still blames the Jewish state for the Gaza war.

“I also said that Dutch Foreign Minister Veldkamp is well aware of the significant steps taken by Israel in the humanitarian aspect, and the choice to take actions against Israel following those steps demonstrates a lack of any connection between the reality on the ground and the policy of the Dutch government,” Sa’ar wrote.

He added, “Steps like those taken by the Netherlands (as well as other countries) have already harmed the chances of achieving a cease-fire in Gaza and a framework for the release of hostages, have strengthened Hamas’s refusal, and are in fact pushing toward military escalation.”