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The Dutch Betrayed the Jewish People 80 Years Ago; Why Are They Doing It Again?

March 29, 2025, Amsterdam, North Holland, Netherlands: A pro-Palestinian demonstrator burns a hand-fashioned Israeli flag. Photo: James Petermeier/ZUMA Press Wire via Reuters Connect

In a world increasingly obsessed with slogans of justice, equity, and human rights, one would expect fairness to be the minimum standard. But when it comes to Israel, particularly in the Netherlands, fairness is replaced by something more dangerous: ideological hostility cloaked in concern. This is not just a political debate anymore, it’s a cultural fault line. And the Dutch, knowingly or not, are choosing sides.

Prejudice Disguised as Policy

For years, the Netherlands has championed policies that subtly but deliberately isolate Israel. One glaring example is the support for labeling goods from Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria — territories that hold historical and religious meaning for the Jewish people. The move was framed as a “consumer’s right to know,” but make no mistake: its ideological roots lie in the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, a campaign that singularly targets Israel while ignoring far graver human rights crises globally.

The consequences have been far-reaching. Israeli companies operating in those areas, like SodaStream, were pressured to close or relocate. Hundreds of Arab workers lost their livelihoods. Those were real families, real incomes, real bridges between peoples burned down in the name of “justice.”

The Dutch political landscape has seen figures like former minister Sigrid Kaag, once hailed as a diplomatic asset, who maintained personal ties with factions historically linked to terrorism against Israel. Millions of euros flowed from Dutch taxpayers to so-called aid groups, some later revealed to have ties to Hamas. Yet, the Dutch media treated these revelations with a shrug. The public barely blinked. It’s easier to blame Israel than to confront uncomfortable truths.

October 7 and the Media’s Cowardice

On October 7, the world witnessed some of the most horrific atrocities since the Holocaust. Civilians in Israel were hunted down, raped, and incinerated in their homes. Children watched their parents die. Families were torn apart, literally and emotionally.

And how did the Dutch media respond? By refusing to air unfiltered footage. By downplaying the horror. By quickly pivoting to criticisms of Israel’s military response. Dutch outlets, especially the national broadcaster, NOS, have become masters of omission. They soften terror and amplify outrage only when it comes from the other side.

This behavior is not new. The Netherlands still struggles with its own wartime record. While many Dutch citizens bravely resisted Nazi rule and protected their Jewish neighbors, far too many were complicit. Nearly 75% of Dutch Jews perished in the Holocaust, a higher percentage than in many neighboring countries. Jews were betrayed for mere coins. And society moved on, barely looking back.

That same culture of denial and selectivity plays out today, but in a new context: the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Jews again are cast as aggressors, their suffering minimized, their right to self-defense delegitimized.

Hidden Histories, Buried Guilt

Recently, a chance conversation brought an older wound into focus. A Muslim woman from my neighborhood, whose ancestors were taken from Indonesia to Suriname, told me her great-grandmother was kidnapped from a market by colonial authorities and shipped to South America. That history, Indonesian slavery under Dutch rule, is scarcely acknowledged in the Netherlands.

Why is that? Because it complicates the neat image the Dutch like to project: tolerant, progressive, just. Admitting the full extent of their own past would make their finger-pointing at Israel uncomfortable. But moral clarity demands consistency, not convenience.

The silence from Dutch officials and media outlets regarding Israeli suffering today is not benign. It’s a choice. A choice to ignore the kidnapped children. A choice to stay quiet while rockets rain down. A choice to sympathize with those who glorify martyrdom rather than those who grieve.

Dutch society selectively grieves. Where is the outrage over Hamas’ charter, which openly calls for the annihilation of Jews? Where are the Dutch street protests when Israeli civilians are murdered in cold blood? Why is it only Israel that is expected to show restraint while facing existential threats?

Moreover, why does the Netherlands still support institutions like UNRWA, whose employees have been linked to terror activities, and whose curriculum continues to fuel hatred?

A Call for Courage

To my fellow Dutch citizens, I say this: reflect. Examine the real-world consequences of the narratives you embrace. You cannot claim to champion justice while standing silent when Jews are massacred. You cannot wave the banner of human rights while denying Israel the right to defend its people.

History is watching, just as it did 80 years ago. The same questions apply: Will you speak up? Will you stand for truth, even when it’s uncomfortable?

Or will you remain silent … again?

Am Yisrael Chai. The People of Israel live. Even when surrounded by lies. Even when abandoned by friends. Even when history repeats itself.

Sabine Sterk is the CEO of Time To Stand Up For Israel.

The post The Dutch Betrayed the Jewish People 80 Years Ago; Why Are They Doing It Again? first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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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.”

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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.

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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.

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