Antisemitism and Anti-Israel Activity Have Long Been Building in The Netherlands

The mob attacks on Jews and Israelis in Amsterdam following a Maccabi-Ajax soccer match have been horrifying, but not surprising. They did not come out of the blue, but are merely the latest and most violent expressions of antisemitism and anti-Israel sentiment that have been building in the Netherlands for a long time. More on this sinister phenomenon, nurtured initially by the millions of Muslims living in the country, but now has entered the Dutch mainstream, can be found here: “Secret Israeli gov’t report exposes Dutch anti-Israel sentiment spiraling out of control,” by Zvika Klein, Jerusalem Post, November 8, 2024:

In the heart of Amsterdam’s Dam Square on May 15, 2022, an ominous scene unfolded. It was Nakba Day (marking the displacement of Palestinians during Israel’s 1948 War of Independence), and the square was filled with Palestinian flags, anti-Israel banners, and chants.

At the center of this protest stood Thomas Hofland, head of the pro-Hamas Samidoun organization in the Netherlands, alongside Amin Abu-Rashid, a known Hamas operative. As speakers from the stage lauded Hamas as a “legitimate resistance movement” and even justified violence against Israelis, the Jewish community in the Netherlands took note.

This rally wasn’t a one-time incident but an alarming sign of how deeply anti-Israel sentiment has infiltrated Dutch society, from fringe activism into mainstream public spaces, social media, and even legal channels.

Today, following fresh reports of violent attacks on Israeli fans in Amsterdam, The Jerusalem Post reveals an exclusive and highly classified report from Israel’s Ministry for Diaspora Affairs and Combatting Antisemitism, written in May 2024.

The document, obtained by The Jerusalem Post, paints a disturbing picture of rising anti-Israel sentiment and antisemitism in the Netherlands. This anti-Israel agenda, as detailed in the report, spans public rallies, legal and financial networks, social media influence, and even instances of incitement.

It captures an increasingly hostile environment where anti-Israel sentiment isn’t just tolerated but, at times, is celebrated and encouraged….

The report closes with a stark warning: “The accumulation of activities leads to one goal—harming the State of Israel on the international level.” Despite this clear trajectory, Dutch authorities appear reluctant to intervene, allowing activists to exploit public spaces, legal systems, and social media to intensify their campaigns.

Friday’s incident in Amsterdam is a tragic consequence of allowing such hatred to go unchecked. When pro-Hamas voices dominate public discourse, legal systems are used to target Israel, and extremists are permitted to spread their narratives under the guise of free expression, hostility inevitably turns to violence.

The violence against Israeli fans was not a spontaneous outburst; it was the culmination of a society where anti-Israel sentiments have been cultivated and tolerated for years.

The Netherlands now stands at a critical juncture. Will its leaders choose to defend the values of tolerance and justice that the nation upholds, or will they allow anti-Israel extremism to continue eroding these principles? The writing has been on the wall, and the time for decisive action is now.

After this antisemitic mob violence, what will the Netherlands do? Will it continue to allow into the country more Muslims, those carriers of the antisemitic virus? Will it take action against Muslims inside the country who spread anti-Israel hate, such as Haroon Raza, who tries to have Israeli leaders arrested for “war crimes” and “crimes against humanity,” and Rachid El Ghazaoui, who on social media accuses Israel of genocide and compares it to Nazi Germany? What about Amin Abu Rashid, a known Hamas operative who openly advocates for the destruction of the Jewish state?

And what of Dutch carriers of antisemitism such as Thomas Hofland, who leads Samidoun, an organization linked to the terrorist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), and defends Hamas, another recognized terror group, which Hofland describes as a legitimate force for Palestinian “resistance”? Can’t he be prosecuted for his support of terrorism? What about Thomas van Gool, a so-called “peace activist” who takes part in pro-Hamas rallies calling not for peace, but for war against the Jews of Israel?

Who should lead the effort to cleanse the Dutch body politic of its antisemitism? Perhaps it should be King Willem-Alexander himself, who has long been haunted by the way the Dutch, including his grandmother Queen Wilhelmina, failed their country’s Jews during World War II. She mentioned Dutch Jews only three times in 48 radio speeches she made during her exile in the United Kingdom — all in general terms and only after mentioning other cruelties visited on the general population.

The Nazis and local collaborators murdered 75% of the Netherlands’ prewar Jewish population of 140,000 – the highest death rate in Nazi-occupied Western Europe. The community never replenished its numbers.

In 2020, the king spoke movingly at a ceremony of apology by the government to Dutch Jewry:

Fellow human beings felt abandoned, insufficiently heard, insufficiently supported, even with words. Also from London by my great-grandmother, despite her steadfast resistance [to the Nazis]. It’s something that won’t let go of me.

After the antisemitic mob attack in Amsterdam, King Willem-Alexander expressed “deep horror and shock” over the attack in a telephone call to Israeli President Isaac Herzog, and told Herzog that “We failed the Jewish community of the Netherlands during World War II, and last night we failed again.”

Would the King not be the perfect person to lead the fight against antisemitism in his country?