Dutch Jewish leader condemns settlement ban, laments growing antisemitism

Jigal Markuszower, president of the Jewish Communities in the Netherlands (NIK), is condemning the Dutch government’s new ban on products from Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria (West Bank), warning that the measure is another sign of growing hostility toward Israel and could contribute to increasing antisemitism against Dutch Jews.

In an interview with The Times of Israel (TOI), the Dutch Jewish leader denounced the new law as undemocratic and said it undermines consumers’ freedom of choice.

“The law means we’re not free to buy whatever we want, even if we are shopping in the market in Jerusalem,” Markuszower said, referring to the fact that the new Dutch law extends to products originating from areas including Jerusalem’s Old City.

“But the bigger problem is that such a ban exists, and that other similar things are happening all the time,” he warned.

The Dutch government’s new trade measure took effect on Sept. 22, banning the import, purchase and sale of goods originating from Israeli settlements in the territories it considers occupied, including Judea and Samaria, East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights.

Israeli tourists at Schiphol Amsterdam Airport have also reported being subjected to inspections by Dutch airport authorities to determine whether they were carrying products covered by the new restrictions. The Israeli government condemned the measure and responded by revoking the accreditation for Dutch diplomats.

Diplomatic relations between Israel and the Netherlands have deteriorated sharply since the Hamas Oct. 7, 2023, massacre. The Dutch government has become one of Israel’s harshest critics in the European Union (EU) and has strongly opposed Israel’s military operations against Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

In August, Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp announced that the country sought to suspend the trade deal between the EU and Israel.

Meanwhile, Markuszower is concerned that the deterioration in Dutch-Israeli relations and the latest trade restrictions could contribute to growing hostility toward the Dutch Jewish community, which numbers about 35,000 people, according to a 2025 demographic study.

There are also strong family ties between Dutch Jewry and Israel. Markuszower told TOI that Israelis who have moved to Amsterdam account for approximately 35% to 40% of the city’s Jewish population.

Last year, a Hanukkah concert featuring IDF chief cantor Shai Abrahamson was downgraded. Anti-Israel activists had initially sought to ban the concert because of “the IDF’s active involvement in a controversial war,” referring to the Hamas-initiated Oct. 7 war and the subsequent fighting between Hamas and IDF soldiers in the Gaza Strip.

Some Dutch universities are also boycotting Israeli academic institutions because they are Israeli institutions.

Markuszower said that even relations with police officers guarding Jewish schools and synagogues have deteriorated amid what he described as growing hostility toward Jews and Israel.

“Just now, a police officer overheard me mentioning Jerusalem on our call, and he said something unpleasant,” he said.

The Jewish leader also revealed that some Dutch Jews are considering immigrating to Israel.

“For those considering making aliya (immigrating), there’s not only a pull factor of Israel now,” he said. “There’s also a push factor from Europe,” he added, referring to the growing levels of antisemitism in the Netherlands.

“Unfortunately, I don’t see it getting better anytime soon,” he concluded.

The Netherlands has also experienced highly publicized incidents of antisemitic violence. In November 2024, 10 Israeli soccer fans were attacked in Amsterdam following a match between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Ajax. The attacks prompted widespread condemnation and criticism of Dutch authorities over their handling of the violence.

Approximately 75% of Dutch Jews, including Anne Frank and her family, were murdered during the Holocaust by the Nazis and their local collaborators.

However, there are also supporters of Israel and the Jewish people in the Netherlands. Last month, some 2,000 Evangelical Christians rallied for Israel and the Jewish people in Amsterdam, condemning the Dutch government’s new trade restrictions on products from Israeli settlements.