Dutch Christians for Israel Attacked By Pro-Palestine Crowds (Worthy News Investigation)
By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent
JERUSALEM/AMSTERDAM (Worthy News) – Thousands of Christians, including pastors and other Christian leaders, have signed a petition urging the Dutch government to protect those “who speak out about Israel” following numerous violent incidents.
The signatories expressed concern about the safety of Christians and Jews after pro-Palestinian demonstrators and fiercely anti-Israel crowds targeted people linked to the Netherlands-based Christenen voor Israel (Christians for Israel) foundation.
The foundation says some of the violence was sparked by “false media reports” that it finances housing and possible weapon deliveries to Jewish settlers in the West Bank, also known as Judaea and Samaria, which Palestinian authorities view as part of Palestine.
Christians for Israel and Israel’s Defense Ministry have both strongly denied allegations by investigative journalists that the foundation contributed 300,000 euros ($342.000) to build the Israeli settlement of Revava on land belonging to a Palestinian farmer.
The foundation and Israeli officials say the new neighborhood has only ten temporary housing units to accommodate Ukrainian refugees. Of eight of the ten homes, it is “irrefutably established” that they are on public land where construction is permitted, said Yehuda Eliyahu, who leads the Settlements Administration within the Ministry of Defense.
He added that two temporary units may fall outside the official building line, but that does not necessarily mean they are on seized private land. “There are no indications that these two houses are located on land in Palestinian private ownership.”
Eliyahu stressed that no one has made a legal claim to the square meters outside the alleged building boundary so far.
THREATS CONTINUE
Yet that has done little to ease threats against Christians for Israel, which has been supporting projects in the Jewish nation for decades, besides helping Jews to return to Israel.
The petition signed by over 6,300 Christians so far highlights recent disturbances in the Dutch central city of Zaltbommel, where a pro-Israel event organized by Christians for Israel was “aggressively and intimidatingly disrupted” by pro-Palestinian demonstrators.
Reverend Oscar Lohuis, the keynote speaker, recalled how Christians attending his lecture struggled to reach the conference hall due to violent protesters. Yet, “Those inside the hall continued singing [Christian sings], which the crowd outside mocked. After about half an hour, we decided to gather in the youth center — a room without windows and inaccessible from the outside. He explained that we just managed to fit everyone in” without being disturbed by outside noises.
“It feels as if we’re sitting in a hidden church,” Lohuis recalled telling the audience. “We read together from Psalm 22, which speaks of the suffering of David and the Messiah.”
Yet, with anti-Israel crowds surrounding the area, they were initially unable to leave the building. Eventually, they dared to go in small groups with an angry crowd approaching them. “They threw baby dolls stained with fake blood and other objects at us. The first few meters, we had a clear path, but then the crowd closed in. On the way to my car, I almost stumbled, unable to see a curb through the pressing crowd,” Lohuis said in comments obtained by Worthy News.
He said his car was damaged, and several tires were punctured. Yet, with help from bodyguards hired by the foundation, he reportedly managed to escape. Video footage confirmed his assessment.
Similar incidents happened earlier, and at one point, Christians for Israel’s Israel Center suffered anti-Israel graffiti attacks by pro-Hamas protesters. Staff members have received phone calls from “Allahu Akbar” (“Allah is the Greatest”) shouting people, a spokesperson said.
GREAT CONCERN
“We have taken note with great concern of the attack on Christian speakers and gatherings, including those of Christians for Israel,” Christians wrote in their petition demanding changes. “We are equally shocked by other recent demonstrations that were threatening in nature and even involved criminal acts, such as the disruption of church services and meetings, threats of violence, and the actual use of violence, including spitting, car vandalism, and graffiti on walls.”
They noticed that “People wanting to attend religious gatherings are being threatened, intimidated, and attacked.”
The petition’s authors explained that disrupting religious gatherings is prohibited by law in the Netherlands. “However, police and mayoral intervention and the enforcement of these laws are seriously lacking,” they stressed, referring to the disturbances at the Christians for Israel gathering in Zaltbommel.
“The people wishing to attend these religious gatherings are being threatened, intimidated, and attacked. Some feel forced to leave or are too afraid to attend. In many cases, they are also pressured into engaging in conversations with their attackers and are told that the police are there for both them and their attackers,” the petition said.
“We are concerned to note that the media, newspapers, television, and even government institutions, such as mayors and police, provide little or no effective protection against people expressing their opinions in violent or intimidating ways,” the Christians signing the petition explained.
The signatories “recognize the right to freedom of expression,” which may include criticizing Israel. “But that should never escalate into violence against Jews or those who identify with them. Nor should criticism, justified or not, ever lead to aggression against people who support Israel or sympathize with the Jewish people in the Netherlands.”
The petition declared Israel “to be a friendly state” with the right to protect its population.
RELIGIOUS GATHERINGS
People “may demonstrate against that opinion, but such demonstrations must be non-violent and free from threats.”
They emphasized “that everyone has the right to attend a religious gathering undisturbed,” adding that mayors and police are legally obligated to maintain order: “The government must ensure that religious gatherings are not canceled due to intimidation or vandalism.”
Yet, “Media, newspapers, television, and even government institutions such as mayors and police, provide little or no effective protection.”
The Christians clarified that they have not given up hope despite a reported rise in anti-Jewish attacks in the Netherlands since October 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked Israel, killing 1,200 people and kidnapping hundreds.
“We call on the government (for which we pray) to provide protection and safety to Jews, Christians, and everyone who speaks out about Israel in any way,” the petition concluded.
“Actual violations of the Dutch Constitution, the Criminal Code, and other relevant laws must be detected, prosecuted, and firmly prevented.”
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