„Sweden, therefore, demands that the EU freeze the trade component of the association agreement as soon as possible. (…)
Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp also called for the suspension of the trade component of the EU-Israel Association Agreement if aid to Gaza is not increased.
Katja Van Rennes is the sister of Marco Van Rennes – a volunteer on the ‚Madleen‘. Marco, along with 11 others, was abducted by Israel whilst in international waters at around 0300 EEST 9 Jun 2025. All 12 of the ‚Madleen‘ crew continue to be held by the Israeli military. Pressure the Dutch Foreign ministry and all other foreign ministries of the volunteers who were taken against their will from the ‚Madleen‘ as she was sailing to break the seige of Gaza.
Tag and email the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs NOW:
W: https://www.government.nl/contact/public-information-service/email
X: DutchMFA
IG: (at)minbz
FB: ministeriebz
SOS! The volunteers on ‚Madleen‘ have been taken illegally against their will by Israeli forces. Pressure their foreign ministries and help us keep them safe!
FR:
E: alertes.cdc(at)diplomatie.gouv.fr & courrier.scec(at)diplomatie.gouv.fr
X : (at)FranceDiplo_EN & (at)francediplo & (at)jnbarot
FB : (at)France Diplomatie & (at)Jean-Noël Barot
IG : (at)francediplo & (at)jeannoelbarot
SP:
E: consular(at)maec.es
X (at)SpainMFA & (at)MAECgob
IG : (at)exteriores.maec
GE:
W: https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/en/vi…
IG : (at)auswaertigesamt
FB : (at)Auswärtiges Amt
X : GermanyDiplo
BR:
Email : portal(at)itamaraty.gov.br
X : ItamaratyGovBr
IG : (at)itamaratygovbr
FB : (at)Ministerio das relacoes exteriroes
SW:
Web: https://www.government.se/contacts/
X : (at)SweMFA
FB : (at)SweMFA
IG : swedishmfa
TUR
X : (at)MFATurkiye
IG : (at)tcdisisleri
FB : (at)T.C. Dışişleri Bakanlığı
NED
X : (at)DutchMFA
IG : (at)minbz
FB : (at)ministeriebz
Nine member states — Belgium, Finland, France, Ireland, Luxembourg, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden — had publicly backed the Netherlands‘ proposal ahead of Tuesday‘s gathering of foreign ministers.
Denmark, Estonia, Malta, Poland, Romania and Slovakia also backed the review on Tuesday, according to diplomatic sources. Austria, a staunch supporter of Israel, did not take the floor to voice any opposition, another diplomat said.
Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy and Lithuania were said to be against, while Latvia was „neutral“, the sources also said.
The Netherlands is set to try to rally support from other European Union countries to increase pressure on Israel on Tuesday by calling for a review of relations, as western nations increasingly criticise the expansion of Israeli military operations in Gaza.
The Dutch move has garnered strong support from human rights groups but will be no easy task due to the rejection of a review by Germany and deep divisions within the bloc over the Israel-Palestine conflict.
Human rights groups and aid agencies — including Amnesty International, Save the Children and Doctors Without Borders — estimated the peaceful crowd at more than 100,000 people, and the streets of The Hague were packed with the old, young and even some babies on their first protest.
The march was timed to commemorate the 77th anniversary of the Nakba, the ‘catastrophe’, of 1948 in which more than 800,000 Palestinian civilians were driven by force from their homes and land, with many massacres and rapes, to create the state of Israel.
(May 8, 2025)
Ties between the EU and Israel — which are major trading partners — are governed by a so-called Association Agreement. It stipulates that their ties “shall be based on respect for human rights and democratic principles.”
The Dutch government has said that it intends to block the agreement pending an EU review into whether the Israel government is complying with the pact, which entered force in 2000. Kallas said the ministers would discuss this on May 20.
(May 7, 2025)
In a missive to European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas, Veldkamp accused Jerusalem of acting in violation of the 2000 E.U.-Israel Association Agreement, which states that relations between the Jewish state and the 27-member body are “based on respect for human rights and democratic principles.”
The Netherlands will block European cooperation with Jerusalem until alleged rights abuses are investigated, he wrote to Kallas. Renewal of the program requires unanimous support from all E.U. foreign ministers.
According to the report from Haaretz, Israel believed that Ireland, Iceland and the Netherlands could have acted to enforce the warrant.
“We know that there are tragic events in Gaza, huge civilian casualties, but we do not forget who started the current cycle of violence,” Sikorski said in Brussels. “And I can tell you that there was no agreement on the idea of suspending negotiations with Israel.”
Diplomats said the politicians who did not support Borrell‘s initiative at the meeting included foreign ministers from Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary and the Netherlands.
“I understand that it brings back memories of pogroms,” she said. “It is deeply damaging to the city”.
The mayor said that Maccabi supporters were not known to be violent and in football terms, the match was not considered high risk.
The counter-terrorism unit NCTV was unaware of any concrete threats, she said but said action would be needed to ensure there was no trouble, in particular given the combination of football and commemorations for Kristallnacht.
Die Erschütterung ist der Amsterdamer Bürgermeisterin Femke Halsema anzusehen. Bei der Pressekonferenz ringt sie nach Worten. Die politischen Reaktionen weltweit – vor allem die aus Israel – haben Erschütterung ausgelöst.
„Ich verstehe vollkommen, dass das alles Erinnerungen an Pogrome weckt“, erklärt die Amsterdamer Stadtchefin: „Letzte Nacht wurden nicht nur Menschen verletzt. Die Geschichte unserer Stadt ist zutiefst beschädigt worden.“ Auch die jüdische Kultur der Stadt sei dadurch bedroht.
Over 200 Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters, many reportedly linked to the Israel Defence Forces (IDF), took to the streets of Amsterdam on Wednesday and Thursday. Demonstrators were filmed tearing down Palestinian flags and chanting aggressive anti-Arab slogans, including, „Let IDF win to F*#k Arabs” and „There are no schools in Gaza because there are no children left.“
Videos of these chants and confrontations quickly spread across social media, amplifying tensions between pro-Palestinian groups and the visiting fans.
The clashes, which occurred both before and after the match, have sparked widespread condemnation. Eyewitness reports and videos shared on social media show Maccabi fans vandalising property, attacking bystanders, and even setting a Palestinian flag on fire. Disturbingly, the footage also captures fans assaulting a local taxi driver and confronting law enforcement officers.
The broadcaster’s correspondent Step Vaessen said: “Hundreds of supporters of Maccabi Tel Aviv came to Amsterdam, held a very vocal rally in the main square before the incident, waving Israeli flags, and also took down a Palestinian flag.”
Police had said they were being particularly vigilant ahead of the match.
City councilman Jazie Veldhuyzen said: “They [Israeli fans] began attacking houses of people in Amsterdam with Palestinian flags, so that’s actually where the violence started.
Violent clashes broke out between supporters of Israel‘s Maccabi Tel Aviv and pro-Palestinian protesters outside Amsterdam‘s Johan Cruyff Arena, despite a ban on demonstrations. The altercation left ten Israelis injured, two missing, and led to 20 arrests by Dutch police
(09.05.2024)
There were again pro-Palestinian protests at universities in Amsterdam and Utrecht overnight.
(08.95.2024)
Police in Amsterdam began breaking up the occupation of University of Amsterdam buildings in the city center on Wednesday. The Binnengasthuis and other university buildings were squatted a day earlier by hundreds of pro-Palestinian demonstrators who had marched there from the university’s Roeterseiland campus on Tuesday afternoon.
(07.05.2024)
Some 125 activists were arrested as police broke up a pro-Palestinian demonstration camp at the University of Amsterdam in the early hours of Tuesday, as protests that have roiled campuses in the United States spread into Europe.
(07.05.2024)
Demonstrations have taken place in Berlin, Vienna, Amsterdam and Belgium, where students have set up encampments and called for a ceasefire in Gaza. Violent clashes erupted in Amsterdam and authorities said at least 125 people were detained. In Berlin, students formed a human chain to protect their camp while police detained several people. The protests are in response to Israel‘s bombardment of Gaza.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog is to attend the opening of the National Holocaust Museum in Amsterdam on Sunday amid a planned protest against Israel‘s killing of tens of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza.
From Erev Rav:
„NEVER AGAIN IS NOW
We express our deep concern regarding the upcoming opening of the Dutch National Holocaust Museum, where Israeli president Yitzhak Herzog is scheduled to attend alongside Dutch king Willem-Alexander.
While we honor the memory of our ancestors who perished in the Holocaust and recognize the importance of preserving their memory, we cannot stand by silently while the genocide in Gaza continues to unfold.
We are organizing a peaceful protest moment during the opening ceremony of the National Holocaust Museum.
We as Jews deserve better than the instrumentalisation of our pain in order to justify an ongoing genocide!
(07.03.2024)
Ahead of president Isaac Herzog‘s scheduled visit to the Netherlands on Sunday, a local pro-Palestinian organization submitted a request to arrest him for war crimes in Gaza. The Foreign Affairs and Justice ministries are preparing to prevent embarrassment and to ensure that there will be no harm during the visit.
(25.01.2024)
Together with international aid and human rights organizations, such as Oxfam and Amnesty International, we appeal to all UN member states to halt the crisis in Gaza and prevent further humanitarian catastrophe and loss of civilian lives. We call on all states to immediately cease the transfer of weapons, components, and ammunition to Israel and Palestinian armed groups as long as there is a risk that they may be used for serious violations of international humanitarian law or human rights.
De Nederlandse regering moet de export van onderdelen van F-35-gevechtsvliegtuigen naar Israël binnen zeven dagen stoppen. Dat bepaalt het Gerechtshof Den Haag. De uitspraak is conform de eis van Oxfam Novib, PAX en The Rights Forum.
The exports must cease within seven days.
The decision came as Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte traveled to Israel to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss the conflict.
The executive authority in Nicaragua published an official statement in which it revealed that it warned the governments of said Western powers that they might be jointly complicit in the „flagrant and systemic violations“ of the Convention on Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide and international humanitarian law in the Gaza Strip.
Nicaragua could move to take Germany, Canada, the U.K. and the Netherlands to the International Court of Justice over their role in aiding Israel’s genocide in Gaza. Nicaragua called on the four nations to immediately stop providing arms, munitions and technology to the Israeli army.
But Israel refuses to share either its evidence or the intelligence dossier – a summary of which was seen by FRANCE 24 – with UNRWA, posing a challenge for the UN agency to complete its inquiry.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency, the main aid agency in Gaza, is set to lose $65 million by the end of February as donors’ funding cuts begin to kick in, according to internal accounting documents reviewed by The New York Times.