Israel dispatched two planes on Friday to evacuate Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters from the Netherlands following clashes in Amsterdam after a Europa League football match.
Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema reported that Maccabi Tel Aviv fans were “attacked, abused and pelted with fireworks”, requiring multiple riot police interventions to protect them and escort them to safety. Police detained 57 suspects as pro-Palestinian demonstrators attempted to approach the Johan Cruyff Arena, where Ajax had won the match 5-0.
Unverified social media footage showed Maccabi Tel Aviv fans shouting anti-Palestinian chants in the streets of Amsterdam before the game.
Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof condemned the “completely unacceptable” attacks and promised Netanyahu that perpetrators would face prosecution. Dutch far-right leader Geert Wilders expressed shame over the incidents occurring “in the Netherlands”.
Israeli officials, including President Isaac Herzog, drew parallels between the attacks and historical antisemitic violence in Europe.
The incidents occur amid rising antisemitic incidents in the Netherlands since the outbreak of the Gaza war. In March, the opening of an Amsterdam Holocaust museum led to similar protests.
Israeli authorities coordinated with Dutch officials to send cargo aircraft with medical and rescue teams for the emergency evacuation operation.
That was after after Netanyahu cancelled plans to send two military planes. IDF service personnel have been banned from going to the Netherlands until further notice, the Israeli military’s spokesperson said.
Following the directive of the political echelon, the IDF mission will not be departing to Amsterdam.
— LTC Nadav Shoshani (@LTC_Shoshani) November 8, 2024
Israel has killed at least 43,000 Palestinians, with 102,000 wounded, since the October 7 attack by Hamas. It has also killed around 3,000 in Lebanon and Syria, while around 3 million people have been displaced from their homes as a result of the war.
Experts, governments, United Nations agencies, and non-governmental organisations have accused Israel of carrying out genocide against the Palestinian people.
