RSS
Famed Amsterdam Concert Hall Called ‘Cowards’ for Canceling Israeli String Quartet Performances Due to Anti-Israel Protests
The Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Picture taken August 16, 2019. Photo: REUTERS/Eva Plevier
A world-famous concert hall in Amsterdam announced this week the cancellation of two upcoming concerts by the Israeli music group Jerusalem Quartet because of concerns regarding anti-Israel protests scheduled to take place at the venue and around the city.
The Concertgebouw said on Tuesday the decision was made “due to announced demonstrations, and the recent developments surrounding protests in Amsterdam.” The music hall said it could not guarantee the safety of employees, visitors, and musicians and thus decided to cancel the group’s performances of music by Felix Mendelssohn, Claude Debussy, and Israeli composer Paul Ben-Haim on Thursday and Saturday. The string quartet is comprised of three violinists and a cellist.
The decision was met with backlash from pro-Israel supporters and the Jerusalem Quartet itself, which said on Tuesday the Concertgebouw is surrendering to “bullying and terrorism” by canceling the shows. Others called the move “horrible,” “disgusting,” “shameful,” and “a disgrace.” Some social media users called Concergebouw “a bunch of cowards” and “antisemitic idiots.”
“Your actions have given new meaning to the word ‘cancel culture.’ You capitulate,” the Central Jewish Consultation (CJO) wrote in a letter to the venue. “Yes, the Jerusalem Quartet consists of four musicians from Israel. This in no way justifies opposing their concert. Your choice for this quartet was based on musical considerations. Stick to it and don’t let anything stop you from doing what your goal is.”
In response to the intense scrutiny, Concertgebouw’s General Manager Simon Reinink released a statement on Wednesday further explaining concerns regarding the security and safety of those at the music venue. He said Concertgebouw received “a flood of messages from people and organizations opposing the quartet.” Two anti-Israel demonstrations were scheduled to take place, and social media users urged the public to demonstrate at the Concertgebouw as well.
“What finally made us decide not to go ahead with these concerts after all has everything to do with the security situation in The Concertgebouw,” it explained. “The Concertgebouw itself is responsible for that. With two simultaneous concerts in the Main Hall and Recital Hall, there are 2,500 people in the building. With that, the security situation can quickly become precarious.”
“Until recently, the demonstrations were peaceful and no reason for us not to allow the concerts to go ahead,” the music hall added. “However, recent developments in and around the University of Amsterdam made that, after extremely intense discussions, we came to the decision not to allow the concerts to go ahead. We could not guarantee the safety within our building of staff, visitors, and musicians. We are very sorry for all visitors and not least for the musicians of the Jerusalem Quartet.”
Concertgebouw said it has been in contact with the Jerusalem Quarter about finding a later date for the shows “where safety can be guaranteed.”
In February, anti-Israel activists interrupted a concert by the Jerusalem Quartet taking place in the Theater Diligentia in The Hague. They waved Palestinian flags and shouted over the music, accusing the music group of “promoting genocide” and distracting people from Israel’s alleged “war crimes.” They were removed from the venue by security guards. A performance by the Jerusalem Quarter was also disrupted by protesters in January in the Muziekgebouw aan ‘t IJ in Amsterdam and the same happened in 2010 during a BBC live broadcast in London.
The post Famed Amsterdam Concert Hall Called ‘Cowards’ for Canceling Israeli String Quartet Performances Due to Anti-Israel Protests first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
RSS
After False Dawns, Gazans Hope Trump Will Force End to Two-Year-Old War
Palestinians walk past a residential building destroyed in previous Israeli strikes, after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a US plan to end the war, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Exhausted Palestinians in Gaza clung to hopes on Saturday that US President Donald Trump would keep up pressure on Israel to end a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced the entire population of more than two million.
Hamas’ declaration that it was ready to hand over hostages and accept some terms of Trump’s plan to end the conflict while calling for more talks on several key issues was greeted with relief in the enclave, where most homes are now in ruins.
“It’s happy news, it saves those who are still alive,” said 32-year-old Saoud Qarneyta, reacting to Hamas’ response and Trump’s intervention. “This is enough. Houses have been damaged, everything has been damaged, what is left? Nothing.”
GAZAN RESIDENT HOPES ‘WE WILL BE DONE WITH WARS’
Ismail Zayda, 40, a father of three, displaced from a suburb in northern Gaza City where Israel launched a full-scale ground operation last month, said: “We want President Trump to keep pushing for an end to the war, if this chance is lost, it means that Gaza City will be destroyed by Israel and we might not survive.
“Enough, two years of bombardment, death and starvation. Enough,” he told Reuters on a social media chat.
“God willing this will be the last war. We will hopefully be done with the wars,” said 59-year-old Ali Ahmad, speaking in one of the tented camps where most Palestinians now live.
“We urge all sides not to backtrack. Every day of delay costs lives in Gaza, it is not just time wasted, lives get wasted too,” said Tamer Al-Burai, a Gaza City businessman displaced with members of his family in central Gaza Strip.
After two previous ceasefires — one near the start of the war and another earlier this year — lasted only a few weeks, he said; “I am very optimistic this time, maybe Trump’s seeking to be remembered as a man of peace, will bring us real peace this time.”
RESIDENT WORRIES THAT NETANYAHU WILL ‘SABOTAGE’ DEAL
Some voiced hopes of returning to their homes, but the Israeli military issued a fresh warning to Gazans on Saturday to stay out of Gaza City, describing it as a “dangerous combat zone.”
Gazans have faced previous false dawns during the past two years, when Trump and others declared at several points during on-off negotiations between Hamas, Israel and Arab and US mediators that a deal was close, only for war to rage on.
“Will it happen? Can we trust Trump? Maybe we trust Trump, but will Netanyahu abide this time? He has always sabotaged everything and continued the war. I hope he ends it now,” said Aya, 31, who was displaced with her family to Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
She added: “Maybe there is a chance the war ends at October 7, two years after it began.”
RSS
Mass Rally in Rome on Fourth Day of Italy’s Pro-Palestinian Protests
A Pro-Palestinian demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a national protest for Gaza in Rome, Italy, October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Claudia Greco
Large crowds assembled in central Rome on Saturday for the fourth straight day of protests in Italy since Israel intercepted an international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza, and detained its activists.
People holding banners and Palestinian flags, chanting “Free Palestine” and other slogans, filed past the Colosseum, taking part in a march that organizers hoped would attract at least 1 million people.
“I’m here with a lot of other friends because I think it is important for us all to mobilize individually,” Francesco Galtieri, a 65-year-old musician from Rome, said. “If we don’t all mobilize, then nothing will change.”
Since Israel started blocking the flotilla late on Wednesday, protests have sprung up across Europe and in other parts of the world, but in Italy they have been a daily occurrence, in multiple cities.
On Friday, unions called a general strike in support of the flotilla, with demonstrations across the country that attracted more than 2 million, according to organizers. The interior ministry estimated attendance at around 400,000.
Italy’s right-wing government has been critical of the protests, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggesting that people would skip work for Gaza just as an excuse for a longer weekend break.
On Saturday, Meloni blamed protesters for insulting graffiti that appeared on a statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside Rome’s main train station, where Pro-Palestinian groups have been holding a protest picket.
“They say they are taking to the streets for peace, but then they insult the memory of a man who was a true defender and builder of peace. A shameful act committed by people blinded by ideology,” she said in a statement.
Israel launched its Gaza offensive after Hamas terrorists staged a cross border attack on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage.
RSS
Hamas Says It Agrees to Release All Israeli Hostages Under Trump Gaza Plan
Smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, October 2, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Hamas said on Friday it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, under the terms of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal, and signaled readiness to immediately enter mediated negotiations to discuss the details.