The Amsterdam city’s citizens are advised to stay in their hotel rooms by Israel’s national security ministry after a “very violent incident.”
A prominent Jewish organization has stated that the Dutch capital should be “deeply ashamed,” while Israeli and Dutch politicians have denounced “antisemitic” attacks of Amsterdam supporters of an Israeli football club following a match in Amsterdam.
Following “a very violent incident” targeting Israeli citizens on Thursday, Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, dispatched two rescue planes to Amsterdam, according to his office.
In a second statement, the prime minister’s office said that Israel’s national security ministry advised its residents in Amsterdam to remain in their hotel rooms.
Israel’s security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, wrote on X that “fans who went to see a football game encountered antisemitism and were attacked with unimaginable cruelty just because they were Jewish and Israeli.”
On Friday, the police in Amsterdam said that they had begun “a major investigation into multiple violent incidents.” According to a police post on X, 62 persons had been arrested and five were brought to the hospital. They claimed that “reports regarding a possible hostage situation and missing persons” could not be verified.
Ajax Amsterdam defeated Maccabi Tel Aviv 5-0 at the Johan Cruyff Stadium, and there were no rumors of any problems throughout the game. After the game, however, 57 people were detained as pro-Palestinian demonstrators attempted to enter the stadium despite being prohibited from doing so.
According to police, fans exited the stadium without any problems, but later that evening, there were many violent events in Amsterdam’s downtown that were directed toward Maccabi supporters.
In cooperation with the Dutch government, the Israeli military announced on Friday that it was getting ready to launch a rescue operation right away.
According to the military, “medical and rescue teams will be part of the mission, which will be deployed using cargo aircraft.”
Social media footage showed a man being beaten and dozens of people running through the streets. The authenticity of the videos has not been verified by The Guardian.
Gideon Saar, the foreign minister of Israel, called Caspar Veldkamp, the foreign minister of the Netherlands, on Friday to request that the Dutch government assist Israeli citizens in getting to the airport securely.
Dick Schoof, the prime minister of the Netherlands, declared that the antisemitic attacks on Israeli people were “horrified” and “completely unacceptable.” He claimed to have called Netanyahu “to emphasize that the offenders will be found and brought to justice.”
Geert Wilders, the leader of the far-right Freedom party, which makes up the majority of the Dutch ruling coalition, criticized his own government on social media on Friday for a “lack of urgency.” “Why is there no extra cabinet meeting?” he wrote. The sense of urgency is missing.
Known for his anti-Muslim views, Wilders, who is not officially employed by the government, stated that Dutch officials “will be held accountable for their failure to protect” Israeli civilians.
US antisemitic envoy Deborah Lipstadt expressed her “deep distress” about the attacks in a tweet and demanded an investigation.
“Amsterdam should be deeply ashamed, the Netherlands should be deeply ashamed,” stated Chanan Herztberger, chair of the Central Jewish Consultation, the primary umbrella organization for the Jewish community in the Netherlands.
He pointed out that the attacks had occurred the night the Dutch Jewish community had celebrated Kristallnacht, the state-sanctioned pogrom and deadly rampage in Nazi Germany and held regions in 1938 that set the stage for the Holocaust.
In reference to “the antisemitic gangs who, under the guise of anti-Zionism, have been trying to make life impossible for Jews in the Netherlands for some time,” Hertzberger stated, “our capital was the scene of a pogrom that would not have been out of place in Nazi Germany.”
“There is no time to wait before taking tough measures,” he continued, referring to the horrific scenes that we saw last night.
Leading Israeli officials, including President Isaac Herzog, said the brutality brought to mind the Hamas gunmen’s attack on Israel last year and the atrocities on European Jews during earlier decades’ pogroms.
“We see with horror this morning, the shocking images and videos that since October 7th, we had hoped never to see again: an antisemitic pogrom currently taking place against Maccabi Tel Aviv fans and Israeli citizens in the heart of Amsterdam,” he wrote on X.
Israel’s largest-selling newspaper, Yedioth Ahronoth, quoted Israeli fans saying the attacks appeared to have been planned.
