The Netherlands has followed Germany and France in refusing admission to the country by British Palestinian plastic surgeon Ghassan Abu-Sittah, who was working in Gaza during the first weeks of the Israel offensive.

Abu-Sittah, who is also rector of the University of Glasgow, had been invited to speak this week at the University of Amsterdam. He was also due to attend an event organised by The Rights Forum, which campaigns for the rights of Palestinians.

MPs from GroenLinks-PvdA and D66 have asked foreign minister Hanke Bruins Slot to clarify why Abu-Sittah has been banned from the Netherlands.

MP Kati Piri (GroenLinks-PvdA) said on social media the decision to ban him is “unprecedented”. The Netherlands should admit “witnesses to human rights violations in Gaza to meet international organisations in NL”.

D66 parliamentarian Jan Paternotte also described the ban as “astonishing”. 

Last month Abu-Sittah was denied access to Germany where he was due to speak at a conference about his experiences in Gaza. The congress was banned by the German authorities after the first speaker had been on stage.

He was also stopped from travelling to France last weekend, where he was due to attend a meeting of the senate to talk about his experiences in Gaza.

According to Le Monde, French border officials blamed the German authorities, who have banned him from obtaining a visa for one year for the entire Schengen area.

This “administrative ban”, imposed without a reason, is behind the Dutch decision, The Rights Forum said in a statement.