Netanyahu sends rescue plane to Amsterdam after violence against Israeli soccer fans

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he will send two planes to the Netherlands to pick up soccer fans after pro-Palestinian protesters clashed with fans of a club in Tel Aviv.

Videos on social media showed at least one man being assaulted and crowds running through the streets. Fans told Israeli media that they encountered young Arab boys after the Europa League match between Ajax Amsterdam and Maccabi Tel Aviv.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry said at least 10 people were injured and it had lost contact with several citizens visiting the Netherlands.

Authorities in Amsterdam said in a statement Friday that they had to intervene several times to protect Israeli fans.

They said the incident was “very chaotic with some violence targeting Maccabi supporters”. Authorities are investigating the scale of the violence that led to injuries, they added.

Local authorities – including the mayor, police chief and chief prosecutor – are in contact with the Dutch government, the Israeli embassy and representatives of the Jewish community in Amsterdam.

They said additional police would be present “to monitor and control the situation” with increased security for Jewish facilities.

Netanyahu described the incident as “appalling” in a statement from his office issued after a phone call with Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof.

Netanyahu said he “observes with the utmost seriousness the planned anti-Semitic attack against Israeli citizens and demands increased security for the Jewish community in the Netherlands”.

Schoof wrote on X that he was “appalled by the anti-Semitic attacks against Israeli citizens,” adding that the perpetrators would be prosecuted.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog also described the violence as an “anti-Semitic pogrom”.

The clashes took place despite the mayor of Amsterdam banning any pro-Palestinian demonstrations near the stadium.

Maccabi Tel Aviv is the oldest and most successful Israeli football team, winning the most league championships of any club in the country. The club’s website describes its values ​​as being embedded in Israel’s history, with the team taking its name from the Maccabis, an ancient Jewish rebel army.

Israeli media said many fans locked themselves in hotel rooms and asked police to escort them to the airport.

Dutch far-right leader Geert Wilders, a Netanyahu ally, took advantage of the clashes to demand the expulsion of “multicultural scum.”

“We have become the Gaza of Europe,” he said on X. “Muslims carrying Palestinian flags are hunting Jews.”

Israeli and European right-wing leaders have found common ground in recent years arguing that rising anti-Semitism is closely linked to Arab and Muslim immigration to the West. Europe.