By Worthy News’ Johan Th. Bos in Amsterdam and Stefan J. Bos in Budapest
WASHINGTON/BUDAPEST/AMSTERDAM (Worthy News) – The Dutch prime minister pledged Saturday to ensure that the Jewish community in his country “feels safe” after U.S. President Joe Biden condemned the Netherlands’ worst antisemitic attacks since World War Two.
Dick Schoof, who was recently appointed as the Dutch government leader, said he had met Gideon Saar, Israel’s newly appointed foreign minister, to discuss the crisis.
Violence late Thursday and Friday saw Israeli soccer fans being hunted by Arab Muslims, described by authorities as “scooter youths” in Amsterdam, the capital.
Footage reviewed by Worthy News showed Israelis being smashed and kicked to the ground and being forced to say “Free Palestine.” Dozens were injured, some requiring hospitalization, officials confirmed.
“After an in-depth conversation yesterday evening with representatives of Amsterdam’s Jewish community, I met today with the Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gidon Saar,” Schoof explained.
“We spoke about his impressions and experiences during his brief visit to the Netherlands. The events in Amsterdam affected him deeply, and he expressed his serious concern about and revulsion at the rise in antisemitism,” Schoof added.
PROTECTING JEWS
“I told him the Dutch government was doing everything to ensure that the Jewish community in this country feels safe,” the prime minister said.
He also recalled that he spoke with Jewish representatives “about the fear within the Jewish community” as the violence had an “enormous impact” on Jews and others
living in Amsterdam
The talks came as the Netherlands faced pressure from the United States, with U.S. President Baden saying the “Antisemitic attacks on Israeli soccer fans in Amsterdam are despicable and echo dark moments in history when Jews were persecuted.”
Following the attacks, Dutch police arrested scores of people, but few remained detained Saturday.
Although this is the third time of massive antisemitic violence within a few months, the visibly agitated Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema said she would not resign.
Copyright 1999-2025 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
Latest News from Worthy News
Christians in Northern Ireland, once known for violence and religious divisions, are planning a new March for Jesus after thousands attended the event over the weekend.
The death toll from Russian rocket and drone strikes on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv continues to rise. Authorities said Friday that at least 23 people, including children, were killed overnight in the deadliest assault on the city in months.
Chinese authorities have charged a prominent house church leader in the coastal city of Wenzhou with “illegal business operations” over distributing sermon recordings, rights activists said Friday.
Christians in Northern Ireland, once known for violence and religious divisions, are planning a new March for Jesus after thousands attended the event over the weekend.
Christians on Wednesday urged prayers for the “swift and safe release” of three church members in northeastern Vietnam, including a Catholic priest, after security forces reportedly detained them during a home worship service.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday condemned Hungary’s decision to ban a senior Ukrainian officer who led strikes on Russia’s Druzhba oil pipeline, calling it an outrageous attempt to shift blame for the war onto Ukraine.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Wednesday that the Pentagon has opened a sweeping investigation into Microsoft following revelations that Chinese Communist Party (CCP)-linked engineers worked on U.S. military cloud contracts under a controversial program dating back to the Obama-Biden administration.