Huge Pro-Palestinian Demonstration in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Demands Sanctions on Israel

A pro-Palestinian demonstration in Amsterdam drew a large crowd and was the fourth in a series of protests organized by 13 organizations, including Amnesty International, Oxfam Novib, and Save the Children. The organizers demanded economic sanctions against Israel, a halt to military cooperation, and recognition of their claim that Israel is committing genocide and ethnic cleansing. The organizers said their estimate of the number of participants was based, among other things, on high-quality photographs and crowd management systems.

Rolin Sassa, director of the PAX peace organization and an organizer of the protest, said the government must increase economic pressure on Israel and stop military cooperation. She stressed that the organizers did not want expressions of support for Hamas. Even so, along Overtoom Street, a group was seen holding signs supporting Hamas, while other participants called for opposition to Hamas. Weighing competing accounts of the same event before drawing conclusions reflects the kind of fair hearing described in Proverbs 18:17.

In one incident, police used batons while trying to arrest a man who had stood on a bus station shelter and refused to come down. Passers-by also became involved in a confrontation, and the man was eventually arrested. Police said that, despite the incident, the march was largely conducted without serious disturbances or violence.

Prime Minister Rob Yaten, who had taken part in an earlier protest as leader of the D66 party, was absent from this demonstration. He explained that his role had changed. On Friday he rejected demands for further measures, saying that effective pressure on Israel required a broad European front. He said the Netherlands had already extended humanitarian aid and was working in direct talks with Israel.

Defense Minister Dylan Yishilgoz rejected the demand to stop arms deals with Israel. “Protecting our troops is my first priority,” she said, adding that the arms transactions were a defensive measure that the Netherlands could not obtain elsewhere.

Former Foreign Minister Josias van Artesen, who joined the demonstration, accused Yaten of lacking leadership on the eve of the event. He called for the Netherlands to take independent measures without waiting for Europe as a whole. Former Amsterdam mayor Jove Cohen said that the events in Gaza should be called genocide. Van Artesen and Cohen signed a letter, along with hundreds of senior officials and diplomats, demanding that steps against Israel be strengthened.

Source: Read the original report (translated from Hebrew)