Israeli soccer fans attacked by pro-Palestinian assailants in Amsterdam
Pro-Palestinian assailants attacked Israeli fans of the Maccabi Tel Aviv soccer team in the streets of Amsterdam Thursday evening after a game between the Israeli team and a local team, Ajax, in a series of attacks that Israeli and U.S. leaders are describing as a modern-day pogrom. As of early Friday morning, three Israelis were missing and at least 10 wounded. Videos shared on social media showed Israelis being attacked with knives, clubs and vehicles, and attackers shouting anti-Israel and pro-Palestinian slogans. A video circulating on social media also shows dozens of Israeli soccer fans chanting anti-Arab slogans in Hebrew as they descend an escalator and additional videos show Israelis taking down Palestinian flags from buildings. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced he was sending two planes to the Netherlands to evacuate Israeli citizens. The IDF announced plans to dispatch a rescue mission, in cooperation with the Dutch government. Israel was still waiting for authorization for the flights as of Friday morning, according to Israeli media. Netanyahu demanded action by Dutch security forces, and said that he had consulted with top security officials. "The harsh pictures of the assault on our citizens in Amsterdam will not be overlooked. Prime Minister Netanyahu views the horrifying incident with utmost gravity and demands that the Dutch government and security forces take vigorous and swift action against the rioters, and ensure the safety of our citizens," the Prime Minister's office said in a statement. Netanyahu also spoke with Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof, emphasizing that the Netherlands must ensure the safety of the Israeli tourists, including those who were injured, and calling to increase security for the local Jewish community. The Israeli Prime Ministers Office readout called the attacks a pogrom. Schoof expressed horror at the events in a post on X , and said that these were completely unacceptable antisemitic attacks on Israelis. The perpetrators will be tracked down and prosecuted, Schoof wrote, adding that it is quiet now in the capital. The Israeli National Security Council instructed Israelis to stay in their hotel rooms and avoid going out into the street for several hours, before updating them that it is safe to go to the airport. The NSC continued to recommend hiding all signs of being Israeli or Jewish and to return to Israel as soon as possible. They also asked Israelis in Amsterdam to download the Home Front Command app, which usually sends location-based alerts about rockets and missiles launched at Israel, to receive security updates in the Netherlands. Geert Wilders, leader of the anti-immigration Party for Freedom, called the attacks a Jew hunt," blaming them on Muslims and saying that the Netherlands had become the "Gaza of Europe" in posts on X. Arrest and deport the multicultural scum, he wrote . Ashamed that this can happen in the Netherlands. Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chiklin confirmed to Jewish Insider that his office had prior intelligence on a possible attack on Israeli soccer fans, which was sent in advance to Dutch law enforcement. Though Amsterdam police were on high alert ahead of the soccer match and accompanied Israeli fans from the stadium to Dam Square, where many of their hotels were located, law enforcement authorities in Amsterdam were slow to respond to the violence, according to Israel's public broadcaster Kan. After the rioting broke out, the police diverted dozens of Israeli soccer fans to another location. Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt, the U.S. State Department's antisemitism envoy, said she was "horrified by the attacks tonight in Amsterdam, which are terribly reminiscent of a classic pogrom." "I am also deeply disturbed by how long the reported attacks lasted and call on the government to conduct a thorough investigation into security force intervention and on how these despicable attacks transpired," Lipstadt continued. "In terrible historical irony, this is happening two days before the grim anniversary of Reichspogromnacht in 1938, when Nazi-sanctioned and led pogroms against Jews erupted across the German Reich." U.S. lawmakers also condemned the attacks on the Israeli fans. Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV), the co-chair of the Senate antisemitism task force, said she was "horrified" by the attacks. "Jews are facing violence and terror because of who they are, and we must all condemn it in the strongest terms," Rosen said. "Ahead of the anniversary of Kristallnacht, the world cannot be silent when antisemitism rears its ugly head. Sen. Katie Britt (R-AL) called the scenes "despicable." "After the Holocaust, we said Never Again, yet here we are nearly 80 years later," Britt continued. "I am praying for the Jewish people worldwide." Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA) said he and a group of Jewish members intend to discuss the matter with the Dutch ambassador to the United States on Friday. "This is outrageous," Sherman said. "The government of the Netherlands must protect Jews from these attacks and prosecute the assailants." Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY) said the attacks amount to "nothing short of a pogrom." "Dutch law enforcement must stop these targeted attacks on Jews immediately," Goldman said. "Antisemitism is spreading around the world all those who oppose hate must speak out." Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) also described the attack as a "pogrom." "The hysterical and hyperbolic demonization of Israel has led to a global outbreak of antisemitic vitriol, vandalism, and violence. The single most monstrous manifestation of antisemitism is a pogrom that is presently unfolding against hundreds of Jews who were cheering on the Tel Aviv Football Club in Amsterdam," Torres said. "Those inciting antisemitism now have the blood of a 21st-century pogrom on their hands. Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD), highlighted that the attack comes days before the anniversary of Kristallnacht. "Jews are once again experiencing antisemitism and vicious attacks in Europe," Hoyer said. "I am deeply disturbed by the reports from Amsterdam and I will continue working to stop the rise in antisemitism across the world and in America." Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) said he was "horrified" and that "we must ensure that our Jewish brothers and sisters here in the United States are protected." Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) joined those describing the attack as a pogrom and questioned the seeming lack of a police response seen in videos. He said that lawmakers would "demand answers" from the Dutch embassy. Jason Greenblatt, an official in the first Trump administration, said that the incident "should be at the top of the agenda" when Dutch officials seek meetings with the incoming Trump administration, adding that the current administration should "[jump] on this now." Jonathan Greenblatt, the CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, said that "this is exactly what 'globalize the intifada' looks like." "Mobs of hate-filled people chasing down and attacking innocent Israeli soccer fans who they have dehumanized as 'Zionists,' hunting down and brutalizing ordinary people who came to Amsterdam simply to enjoy a soccer match," Greenblatt continued. "We demand Dutch authorities do everything necessary to ensure the safety of the Israeli fans, work to apprehend and prosecute the perpetrators, and apologize for this obscene, unprovoked violence." Mark Dubowitz, the CEO of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said that the incident highlights the need to "deport radical Islamists who aren't U.S. citizens," a focus of President-elect Donald Trump and other Republicans' messaging around antisemitism and anti-Israel protests in the U.S. Dubowitz said such individuals endanger all moderate people and, "if we don't act, our cities risk becoming like Amsterdam, Brussels, Malmo, et al where violent extremists rule the streets." He warned European nations that they are "at risk of losing your countries, democracies, and way of life." Yinam Cohen, the Israeli consul general to the midwest United States, said that a common thread connects the events in Amsterdam to an attack by anti-Israel demonstrators at a synagogue in Chicago the night before. He also called the Amsterdam attack a pogrom. "Both were perpetrated by Middle Eastern pro-Palestine mobs, fueled by calls to 'globalize the Intifada' — spreading hatred and inciting violence against Jews," Cohen said.
