The Netherlands are lost: Dutch seek to blame Israeli victims of Amsterdam pogrom

We grew up on the legend of the Dutch as “Righteous Among the Nations,” heroes who helped save Jews during World War II. However, the truth is starkly different.

By DAVID BEN-BASAT NOVEMBER 23, 2024 05:22

PEOPLE WAVE Palestinian flags and a man wears a ‘Free Palestine’ shirt as students and employees of the University of Amsterdam protest, earlier this year. (photo credit: REUTERS/PIROSCHKA VAN DE WOUW)

As I write these words, a demonstration of hate is taking place in one of Amsterdam’s main streets, an unlawful protest by Muslims that signals, all too clearly, that the Netherlands, like other nations, has lost control of its own state to a fanatical Muslim mob. Just days after the antisemitic at carried out by Muslim rioters, it’s apparent that nothing has been learned. The Dutch authorities – including Amsterdam’s mayor and police, who banned the protest – did nothing to stop it.

On the same day that Muslims lay in wait outside hotels to target Jews, one’s thoughts traveled to an even darker period in Dutch history when, on a nearby street about 80 years ago, the Nazis captured Anne Frank and her family, leading to their eventual murder.

A Dutch friend recently sent me an image of the Star of David, writing, “Our thoughts and hearts are with you. This is no longer our Holland.” This message reminded me of the embrace and love Israel received worldwide after the Six-Day War, in which we triumphed over Arab states that sought our destruction. The times have indeed changed, yet the hatred remains the same. Antisemitism is reemerging globally and in the Netherlands, where Muslims and antisemitic Dutch citizens have joined forces, rallying with calls for Israel’s annihilation. Witnessing Dutch citizens shouting “Free Palestine” without grasping the implications of their words, while police stand by and allow blatant law-breaking, is deeply troubling.

A history lesson

We grew up on the legend of the Dutch as “Righteous Among the Nations,” heroes who helped save Jews during World War II. However, the truth is starkly different. Many Dutch citizens betrayed Jews to the Nazis, exposing their hiding places. 

Nevertheless, on my first visit to the Netherlands many years ago, I met one of the war’s most condecorated heroes, Maurice Kiek. He hosted my wife and me in the beautiful town of Wassenaar near Rotterdam, and over dinner, we heard about the Dutch who fought alongside Jews against the Nazi scourge.

Dutch police patrol after riots in Amsterdam, Netherlands, November 11, 2024. (credit: Mizzle Media/Handout via REUTERS)

The Netherlands was different then. Amsterdam was, and perhaps still is, a cosmopolitan city that allowed for diverse beliefs and lifestyles. But with the arrival of hundreds of thousands of Muslim immigrants, crime and violence have surged. Some of them brought with them a culture that has begun to overshadow Dutch traditions.

Authorities fail Jews

Following this week’s attack on Israeli fans who came to watch a soccer game, and despite countless videos documenting the violence, Dutch police released all the detainees, who, it turns out, had already been arrested in unrelated events prior to the game. 

Meanwhile, Dutch media, which initially expressed “shock” at the pogrom, now shifts the narrative, unjustly blaming Israelis. The Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf, commenting on police failures, suggested that officers secured irrelevant areas, attributing the problem to misallocated police resources rather than a lack of personnel. This sums up Amsterdam police’s monumental security lapse.

Meanwhile, pro-Palestinians continue to stage demonstrations “for Palestine,” rejecting the notion that Jews are victims – a claim that defies belief. If this sounds familiar, it’s because Palestinians have turned victimhood into an art, duping the public with the media’s help, embedding their false narrative. 

While Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema banned protests after the violent events, no one seemed deterred, as a demonstration held two days later proved the police are either unwilling or unable to halt the rioters.

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Though Dutch media criticized Galatasaray player Hakim Ziyech – a former Ajax player – for his comments about the violent incidents involving Maccabi Tel Aviv fans, his provocations continue unimpeded.

Olivier Dutil, the Netherlands’ chief of police, reports that random passersby are repeatedly asked by pro-Palestinians to show their passports to verify whether they are Jews. 

The chaos in Amsterdam persists.

The writer is CEO of Radios 100FM, honorary consul general of Nauru, deputy dean of the Diplomatic Consular Corps, vice president of the Ambassadors’ Club, and president of the Israeli Radio Communication Association.