Israeli foreign minister reprimands Netherlands over criticism, ban on ministers

JERUSALEM (Reuters) -Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar delivered a formal reprimand to the ambassador of the Netherlands on Tuesday in response to Dutch criticism over the treatment of Palestinians and a travel ban against two members of the Israeli cabinet.

Saar said in a post on X that the Dutch government "chose to convert a long-standing friendship with Israel into open hostility towards it, precisely during its difficult time, probably out of political interests".

The Dutch government, operating in a caretaker capacity after the coalition collapsed in June, said in a letter late on Monday that it would summon Israel's ambassador to the Netherlands to denounce the "unbearable and indefensible" situation in Gaza.

It also imposed travel bans against two far-right Israeli cabinet ministers on accusations of repeated incitement against Palestinians. That follows similar moves last month against the two ministers, Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, by Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Norway.

(Reporting by Tala Ramadan, Ahmed Elimam and Steven Sheer and Menna Alaa El-DinWriting by Menna Alaa El-DinEditing by Andrew Heavens and Peter Graff)