Dutch PM to Sa'ar: Amsterdam attacks were 'turning point' in antisemitism approach

The recent violent attacks on Israelis in Amsterdam have been a “turning point” in the Netherlands’ approach to antisemitism, Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof told new Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar during the latter’s trip to the country this week.

In their meeting at the Dutch prime minister’s private residence, Schoof expressed his commitment to bringing the perpetrators of Thursday night’s attacks to justice. 

Schoof told Sa’ar that the Dutch government was doing everything to ensure the Jewish community in the Netherlands felt safe, according to his post on X/Twitter.

This comes despite the news that, of the 63 people detained by authorities in Amsterdam following the attacks on Israeli soccer fans on Thursday night, only four remain in custody.

Schoof and Sa’ar reportedly agreed on the importance and urgency of combating rising antisemitism in the Netherlands, with Sa’ar stressing that the modern form of antisemitism is centered on the denial of Israel’s right to exist and on denying its right to self-defense.

This new antisemitism, Sa’ar said in a press interview, has been on the rise in Europe.

“This antisemitism is manifested in the political assault on Israel in the institutions of the UN and international legal forums,” Sa’ar said. “The goals are identical – the delegitimization of Israel and undermining its right to self-defense. This is not done against any other democracy.”

Sa’ar added that it is “very important for Europe to wake up [and] understand what the challenge is.”

Rising antisemitism

“We know that these are not the values of the Netherlands, but we saw that in the streets of Amsterdam [these values] were so dominant two days ago, and it is very important that the authorities in the Netherlands make it clear that this is unacceptable and are punished severely.”

Schoof evidenced his support by canceling his participation in the COP Climate Summit in Baku, Azerbaijan, choosing instead to remain in the Netherlands following the pogrom in Amsterdam.

According to a statement on X, Schoof also held a meeting with representatives of Amsterdam’s Jewish community.

Sa’ar thanked Schoof for his support for Israel and invited him to conduct an official visit to Israel.

Meeting of foreign ministers

Sa’ar also met with his Dutch counterpart Caspar Veldkamp, who expressed his “horror” at the attacks and stressed in a public statement that “the Netherlands will do all it can to identify these thugs and hold perpetrators accountable and combat antisemitism.”

“There is no justification for this violence,” Veldkamp said. “It was a blatant, unacceptable display of antisemitism.”

He added that the Netherlands would also advocate tackling antisemitism at a European level, “encouraging member states to urgently develop national strategies to combat Jew-hatred.”