Jewish Erev Rav organization: Israel's violence poses global threat

Shafaq News/ The Jewish organization Erev Rav in the Netherlands has held Israeli sports fans responsible for the riots that took place last week in the capital, Amsterdam.

In an interview with Turkiye's Anadolu Agency, organization member Anna Joseph stated, “The fans of the Israeli football team Maccabi Tel Aviv caused the disturbances in Amsterdam last Thursday, both before and after their match against Ajax in the Europa League.”

She emphasized that her experience in the Netherlands had proven that “Palestinians and Arabs are not anti-Semitic,” describing her organization, Erev Rav, as "the first Jewish anti-Zionist organization in the country."

Chaos, Vandalism, Assault

Joseph explained that after the match, which ended with a 5-0 victory for Ajax, tensions flared when Israeli fans launched “racist and offensive” chants targeting Palestinians and Arabs, leading to chaos, vandalism, and an attack on the Palestinian flag, which was torn apart. The fans also provoked Dutch taxi drivers of Arab descent.

The Dutch police arrested 57 Arabs after the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs claimed that 10 Israelis were injured and two others went missing.

Meanwhile, social media footage showed Israeli fans boasting about killing children in Gaza, chanting, "There is no school in Gaza because there are no children left."

The ongoing Israeli war has claimed over 43,000 lives, mostly women and children.

Anti-Semitism

Joseph condemned the accusation of "anti-Semitism" made by Dutch media and officials against those who were abused by Israelis.

She stated, "Israel and Judaism are distinct; Israel is a country with various religions and ethnicities, while Judaism is a religion…Equating them puts both Jews and those advocating for Palestinian rights at risk."

Regarding her experience in the Netherlands, she said, "Anti-Semitism there typically comes from white Dutch people, and claiming it's from Palestinians is a lie…I am always warmly welcomed by Palestinian protest organizers and others.” She recounted that in 2023, one of her friends experienced an anti-Semitic incident involving two white Dutch men.

The organization member highlighted that the media presents events with a bias, explaining, "There’s an effort to label anyone who criticizes Israel as anti-Semitic…This isn’t Jewish propaganda but Zionist one, as Zionism backs Israel."

Expanding beyond the Netherlands, she pointed out that "what is happening in Germany now is a new example, where they are trying to pass laws stating that any criticism of Israel is anti-Semitic,” describing this as "an attempt to silence people.”

Addressing the confusion between criticism of Israel and anti-Semitism, Joseph said, "This misunderstanding puts us all at risk, as Palestinian rights movements are labeled anti-Semitic simply for fighting for their rights."

Silence of the Dutch Government

"Community members, Muslims, and other minorities felt unsafe, yet despite notifying the government, no action was taken against the violence by Israeli fans,” Joseph stated, criticizing the Dutch government for “staying silent on Israeli violence, yet labeling any violence against Israelis as anti-Semitism and comparing it to a massacre, which it was not.”

The official highlighted the delayed response from the Dutch police, stating, “I don’t believe the police intervened appropriately…The police should have stopped Maccabi Tel Aviv fans when they began committing violent acts before the match, but we saw the situation escalate by the weekend.” She questioned, “Where was the police then?”

Double Standards

Joseph criticized Dutch authorities for detaining Palestinian and Arab fans rather than the violent Israelis, stressing, "The police didn’t arrest any Israelis, and many are outraged, seeing the government’s actions as rooted in double standards."

Furthermore, she dismissed claims that the Jewish community does not feel safe in the Netherlands, stating that they are "false and unreflective of reality." She further emphasized, "Our organization has not received any threat messages, no one feels afraid to go out, and none of us have encountered anti-Semitic incidents from Palestinians or Arabs in the Netherlands,” stressing that “Muslims and their supporters in the country are not involved in anti-Semitic activities.”

Israel: A Threat to the World

“The violence perpetrated by Israel,” Joseph said, "poses a global threat…As Israel becomes more violent, we will see an increase in hate crimes against Jews worldwide, as we are witnessing now with Israel's occupation of Gaza and the massacres committed there."

On the Dutch government's support for Israel, she said, "If they want to protect Jews, they must stop their complicity in Israel's genocide in Gaza," adding, “When the Dutch government equates Israel with Judaism, it endangers Jewish people…Our organization’s goal is to end the genocide and urge the Dutch government to stop conflating Judaism with Zionism.”

She concluded by noting that “Jews who opposed the establishment of Israel in 1948 are oftenerased from history…Around the world, we voice our opposition to Israel and its actions.”