Amsterdam events anti-Zionist not antisemitic: Israeli think tank head
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The director of an Israeli think tank says what is often labeled as "anti-Semitic protests" are, in fact, expressions of "anti-Zionism" or "anti-Israel sentiment".
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Police stand guard as Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters light flares at the Dam square, in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, on November 7, 2024. (AP)
The director of an Israeli think tank described the demonstrations in the Dutch capital, Amsterdam, as anti-Israeli and anti-Zionist, not anti-Semitic.
Dr. Maya Sion-Tzidkiyahu, director of the Israel-Europe Relations Program at the Israeli think tank, Mitvim, and a lecturer at Hebrew University’s European Forum and Tel Aviv University’s European Union Studies Program, stated in an interview that the demonstrators opposing Israeli fans were not targeting Jews but Israelis. She emphasized that the actions were primarily motivated by anti-Zionism or anti-"Israel" sentiment.
While clarifying that there “is no justification for violence,” the pro-Palestinians “specifically sought revenge on the one who tore up the Palestinian flags and called for the death of the Arabs. The actions of those in Amsterdam are the result of anti-Israeli sentiment. There is a very sharp new anti-Semitism, but in Amsterdam, it was mainly anti-Israeli and anti-Zionist.”
Sion-Tzidkiyahu said that “a month into the war, the number of civilian casualties in Gaza caused a very large anti-Israeli wave. It is very easy to dismiss everything with the word 'anti-Semitism'.”
The professor cautioned that as long as the Israeli occupation and its Western allies continue to equate opposition to "Israel" and its war crimes with anti-Semitism, Tel Aviv risks fueling anti-Semitism in Europe, which stems from anti-"Israel" and anti-Zionist sentiment.
She further stressed that Israelis must understand that the Israeli atrocities in Gaza will endanger European Jews and the continuation of Jewish life in Europe "due to the rise of anti-Semitic attacks against them."
Israeli provocations in Amsterdam spark clashes
Violence erupted across Amsterdam, the Netherlands, last Thursday when supporters of Israeli football club Maccabi Tel Aviv stormed through the city, tearing down Palestinian flags displayed on private property and chanting incendiary slogans, according to reports and footage circulated widely on social media platforms.
The events, which unfolded before and after Maccabi’s match against Ajax, have ignited widespread outrage, with accounts of Israeli fans clashing with bystanders, damaging property, and burning the Palestinian flags.
In response to the incidents, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denounced what he claimed was a "very violent incident against Israeli citizens in Amsterdam" and announced the dispatch of rescue planes to assist Israelis in the Dutch city.
Moreover, Dutch police arrested six people Tuesday protesting in front of Amsterdam's city hall after an anti-protest ban was imposed following the clashes in the European capital last week.
Al Mayadeen's correspondent reported that the Dutch government is being held responsible for the escalation, having banned a pro-Palestine demonstration and arrested several supporters while allowing Israeli demonstrators to stage protests, carry out provocations, and remove Palestinian flags.
