RSS
Following the Pogrom in Amsterdam, Europe Must Act Now to Protect Jews

Israeli football supporters are assaulted near Amsterdam Central station, in Amsterdam, Netherlands, November 8, 2024, in this still image obtained from a social media video. Photo: X/iAnnet/via REUTERS
Pogroms are events that many Jews once believed were confined to the darkest chapters of European history, relegated to memory and textbooks.
Yet, on November 7, 2024, a pogrom is precisely what we witnessed when Israeli soccer fans in Amsterdam were ambushed, chased, and beaten by organized mobs.
Dutch authorities revealed that the attack was far from spontaneous; it had been meticulously orchestrated via WhatsApp, with a group chat calling for a “Jew hunt.” Targeting Jews everywhere is exactly what former Hamas head Ismail Haniyeh meant when he called to “globalize the intifada.”
The reality is stark: Europe — a continent that once prided itself on lessons learned from its past — is now witnessing those lessons unravel as antisemitic violence surges anew.
This incident in Amsterdam, following a year of rising antisemitic incidents across Europe, should have been a loud and clear wake-up call for European leaders. Yet the response has been woefully inadequate. As was the case in the immediate days following October 7, 2023, when antisemitic crimes escalated dramatically, much of the reaction has been confined to mere condemnations.
In the Netherlands, where the memory of the Holocaust and the nation’s failure to protect its Jewish population during World War II remain a national scar, this recent wave of antisemitism feels particularly perilous. Dutch officials, including King Willem-Alexander and Amsterdam’s mayor, have expressed sorrow and regret, but the time for words has long passed.
Over the last year, we have seen a 245% increase in antisemitic incidents in the Netherlands, a staggering 1,000% rise in France, nearly 600% in the UK, and similar spikes across Europe and worldwide. This is not an isolated surge confined to one country but a dangerous new era for Jews throughout Europe.
The Dutch government — and European governments at large — must move beyond apologies. While such gestures have their place, they are insufficient in addressing the scale and urgency of this crisis.
We need action. On November 19, I joined a group of European government ministers, convened at AJC’s urging by French Minister for European Affairs Benjamin Haddad and Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs Caspar Veldkamp, to propose urgent and immediate measures that European governments must take to protect their Jewish communities. Importantly, the group acknowledged that this meeting was merely a first step, and that much more remains to be done.
The European Union must acknowledge the unfolding crisis and elevate it to the highest priority level, including by convening an emergency meeting of European heads of state. This cannot be business as usual. Antisemitism is not a problem for Jews alone, but a societal cancer that threatens the stability, cohesion, and future of Europe itself.
Europe’s leaders must establish a comprehensive, zero-tolerance policy on antisemitism. For too long, European governments have allowed antisemitism to fester on their streets, in their universities, and within social and public institutions, creating an environment where it thrives unchecked and unpunished.
We need a unified and unyielding response, especially as anti-Zionism has become the new guise for antisemitism. The narrative that equates anti-Zionism with legitimate political discourse too often goes unchallenged, providing cover for violent rhetoric and actions against Jews.
Laws and policies across the continent must reflect that demonizing Israel is not only discriminatory but also dangerous, with immediate consequences for those who engage in this form of hate.
European leaders — with a continent-wide strategy — must also address the surge of Islamist antisemitism specifically, recognizing that it presents a direct threat to both Jewish communities and Europe at large, including Muslim communities themselves.
Islamism is a weaponized, extremist political interpretation of Islam in which anti-Jewish hate is central. It is the ideology that drives Hamas and that sadly also has footholds in some parts of European Muslim communities. Leaders must confront the complex layers of this issue, from foreign funding that promotes divisive ideologies to the radicalization occurring within communities and to social media, and take steps to ensure that antisemitic violence — under any form or justification — is eradicated.
This issue is neither recent nor isolated; it is the result of longstanding challenges with integration and the manipulation of vulnerable communities by foreign and domestic actors in mosques, through community organizations, and even at home, by extremist groups on social media and antisemitic discourse promoted on foreign TV channels. These forces exploit failures in integration policies, using divisive narratives to incite hatred against Jews under the guise of solidarity with Palestinian causes.
The attack in Amsterdam, along with the surge of Islamist antisemitism and antisemitic incidents more broadly across Europe, must be recognized as an urgent warning. Without a full-scale campaign of enforcement, protection, and justice, Europe risks seeing that the “globalization of the Intifada” not only threatens Jews, but society at large.
Antisemitism is not simply a “Jewish issue;” it is a fundamental societal issue — one that demands a whole-of-society approach.
Amsterdam cannot remain a tragic headline or a cautionary tale. This is the moment for Europe to rise to its ideals and demonstrate that it will not tolerate hatred in any form — especially not under the guise of political discourse or religious conviction.
Simone Rodan-Benzaquen is the Managing Director of AJC Europe, overseeing AJC’s offices in Berlin, Brussels, Paris, Prague, Rome, Sofia and Central Europe.
The post Following the Pogrom in Amsterdam, Europe Must Act Now to Protect Jews first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
RSS
Rubio Heads to Israel Amid Tensions Among US Middle East Allies

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to members of the media, before departing for Israel at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, US, September 13, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Nathan Howard/Pool
US President Donald Trump’s top diplomat, Marco Rubio headed to Israel on Saturday, amid tensions with fellow US allies in the Middle East over Israel’s strike on Hamas leaders in Qatar and expansion of settlements in the West Bank.
Speaking to reporters before departure, Rubio reiterated that the US and President Donald Trump were not happy about the strikes.
Rubio said the US relationship with Israel would not be affected, but that he would discuss with the Israelis how the strike would affect Trump’s desire to secure the return of all the hostages held by Hamas, get rid of the terrorists and end the Gaza war.
“What’s happened, has happened,” he said. “We’re gonna meet with them. We’re gonna talk about what the future holds,” he said.
“There are still 48 hostages that deserve to be released immediately, all at once. And there is still the hard work ahead once this ends, of rebuilding Gaza in a way that provides people the quality of life that they all want.”
Rubio said it had yet to be determined who would do that, who would pay for it and who would be in charge of the process.
After Israel, Rubio is due to join Trump’s planned visit to Britain next week.
Hamas still holds 48 hostages, and Qatar has been one of the mediators, along with the US, trying to secure a ceasefire deal that would include the captives’ release.
On Tuesday, Israel attempted to kill the political leaders of Hamas with an airstrike on Doha. US officials described it as a unilateral escalation that did not serve American or Israeli interests.
The strike on the territory of a close US ally sparked broad condemnation from other Arab states and derailed ceasefire and hostage talks brokered by Qatar.
On Friday, Rubio met with Qatar’s Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani at the White House, underscoring competing interests in the region that Rubio will seek to balance on his trip. Later that day, US President Donald Trump held dinner with the prime minister in New York.
Rubio’s trip comes ahead of high-level meetings at the United Nations in New York later this month. Countries including France and Britain are expected to recognize Palestinian statehood, a move opposed by Israel.
Washington says such recognition would bolster Hamas and Rubio has suggested the move could spur the annexation of the West Bank sought by hardline members of the Israeli government.
ON Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signed an agreement to push ahead with a settlement expansion plan that would cut across West Bank land that the Palestinians seek for a state. Last week, the United Arab Emirates warned that this would cross a red line and undermine the U.S.-brokered Abraham Accords that normalized UAE-Israel relations in 2020.
RSS
Netanyahu Posts Message Appearing to Confirm Hamas Leaders Survived Doha Strike

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a Plenum session of the Knesset, Israel’s Parliament, in Jerusalem, June 11, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun
i24 News – In a statement posted to social media on Saturday evening, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the Qatar-based leadership of Hamas, reiterating that the jihadist group had to regard for the lives of Gazans and represented an obstacle to ending the war and releasing the Israelis it held hostage.
The wording of Netanyahu’s message appeared to confirm that the strike targeting the Hamas leaders in Doha was not crowned with success.
“The Hamas terrorists chiefs living in Qatar don’t care about the people in Gaza,” wrote Netanyahu. “They blocked all ceasefire attempts in order to endlessly drag out the war.” He added that “Getting rid of them would rid the main obstacle to releasing all our hostages and ending the war.”
Israel is yet to officially comment on the result of the strike, which has incurred widespread international criticism.
RSS
Trump Hosts Qatari Prime Minister After Israeli Attack in Doha

Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani attends an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council, following an Israeli attack on Hamas leaders in Doha, Qatar, at UN headquarters in New York City, US, Sept. 11, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz
US President Donald Trump held dinner with the Qatari prime minister in New York on Friday, days after US ally Israel attacked Hamas leaders in Doha.
Israel attempted to kill the political leaders of Hamas with an attack in Qatar on Tuesday, a strike that risked derailing US-backed efforts to broker a truce in Gaza and end the nearly two-year-old conflict. The attack was widely condemned in the Middle East and beyond as an act that could escalate tensions in a region already on edge.
Trump expressed annoyance about the strike in a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and sought to assure the Qataris that such attacks would not happen again.
Trump and Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani were joined by a top Trump adviser, US special envoy Steve Witkoff.
“Great dinner with POTUS. Just ended,” Qatar’s deputy chief of mission, Hamah Al-Muftah, said on X.
The White House confirmed the dinner had taken place but offered no details.
The session followed an hour-long meeting that al-Thani had at the White House on Friday with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
A source briefed on the meeting said they discussed Qatar’s future as a mediator in the region and defense cooperation in the wake of the Israeli strikes against Hamas in Doha.
Trump said he was unhappy with Israel’s strike, which he described as a unilateral action that did not advance US or Israeli interests.
Washington counts Qatar as a strong Gulf ally. Qatar has been a main mediator in long-running negotiations for a ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza, for the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza and for a post-conflict plan for the territory.
Al-Thani blamed Israel on Tuesday for trying to sabotage chances for peace but said Qatar would not be deterred from its role as mediator.