Israel's new FM rushes to Amsterdam after antisemitic assaults on football fans

Following recent events in Amsterdam, newly appointed Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar urgently flew to the Netherlands at the request of the prime minister on the morning of November 8.

During his visit, Minister Sa'ar will meet with senior officials in the Dutch government, including the Dutch Foreign Minister, Caliber.Az reports per Israeli media.

Minister Sa'ar will reportedly also meet with Israelis in Amsterdam as well as with the local Jewish community.

Notably, the Dutch government has strongly denounced what it described as “anti-Semitic attacks on Israeli citizens” after Israeli football supporters were assaulted and injured during violent clashes in Amsterdam overnight. The incidents occurred following a Europa League match on November 7 evening between Maccabi Tel Aviv from Israel and the Dutch club Ajax.

Dutch police have launched an extensive investigation into the series of violent events that unfolded after the match. Authorities reported that “five individuals have been hospitalised and 62 arrests have been made.”

The Israeli embassy in the United States took to the social media platform X to state that “hundreds of Maccabi fans were ambushed and attacked in Amsterdam.”

Israel’s foreign ministry confirmed that at least 10 Israeli nationals sustained injuries during the unrest.

By Aghakazim Guliyev