Evangelicals rally for Israel in Amsterdam as anti-Israel protesters clash with police

Some 2,000 largely Evangelical Christians rallied at a “Stand Up for Israel” demonstration on Thursday in Amsterdam’s Dam Square. Pro-Israel demonstrators held Israeli flags and sang Hebrew songs. Some 36 buses transported hundreds of supporters from small communities including Nijkerk, Urk and Katwijk, areas located in what is known as the Dutch Bible Belt.

The 36-year-old Israel supporter Chrissie held a large Israeli flag at the rally and wore Star of David earrings.

“It’s all about solidarity,” she explained. “We know how hard it is to be Jewish in Holland right now, and we wanted to show the Dutch Jews they don’t stand alone,” she added, referring to concerns over rising antisemitism in the country.

The 46-year-old evangelist Jacques Brunt explained why he decided to attend the pro-Israel rally.

“On October 7, 2023, I felt compelled to do something. I just started handing out a flyer saying, ‘I stand with Israel, where do you stand?’” he said.

“It’s amazing to see that we grow every year, thanks to a handful of very passionate people,” Brunt continued.

Meanwhile, some 100 Muslim and left-wing anti-Israel activists held a “No Israel Celebration in Amsterdam” protest about 500 meters from the larger pro-Israel rally. The counter-protest included chants such as “From the river to the sea” and “Yallah, yallah intifada.” Some 50 anti-Israel activists were arrested after clashes with police officers. Some protesters were masked, and at least one individual was seen holding the flag of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), which is designated as a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union.

Some Iranian dissidents and expatriates also joined the pro-Israel rally.

“We are here to show our solidarity with the Jews, since they have given us their support time and again,” Iranian national Jazmine said, wearing a flag that combined the Jewish state’s blue and white with the lion and sun symbols of the Iranian opposition.

“Of course we stand with Israel; we have shared a common history for thousands of years. Jews and Iranians stand strong together,” she said.

Pro-Israel speakers criticized the Dutch government’s decision to outlaw imports of Israeli products from Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria (West Bank) and the Old City of Jerusalem. Under the new law, Dutch citizens could potentially face up to six years in prison for buying Israeli products from these territories. Pro-Israel speakers compared the penalties with those imposed for serious criminal offenses. Many Jewish and non-Jewish Israel supporters have described the new Dutch legislation as antisemitic and discriminatory.

The religiously observant 41-year-old Dutch Jew Baruch was one of the comparatively few Dutch Jews who attended the largely Christian rally.

“I don’t understand why so few of us (Jews) are here today. I think they’re afraid after all that has happened in the Netherlands since October 7. But if you don’t show yourself today, when will you ever?” he argued.

Relations between the Netherlands and Israel have deteriorated sharply since Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack. While condemning Hamas, the Dutch government has also increasingly criticized Israel’s military operations in the Gaza Strip.

Last year, Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp announced that the country would suspend the trade component of the Israel-EU Association Agreement. Critics have argued that the Dutch government’s policies toward Israel are fueling antisemitism and anti-Israel sentiment in the country.

In April, the Christian Israel Center in the Netherlands was damaged in an explosion. Its mission is to promote a "biblical understanding in the Church and among the nations concerning God’s purposes for Israel and to promote comfort of Israel through prayer and action." No one was injured in the explosion.