Amsterdam mayor criticizes Israeli response to post-match violence

By Yasin Gungor

ISTANBUL (AA) - Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema criticized Israel’s swift reaction to clashes between Israeli fans and pro-Palestinian demonstrators on Nov. 7, stating her administration was overwhelmed by the sudden international attention.

“We were completely caught off guard by Israel,” Halsema told Dutch broadcaster NPO on Sunday. “At 3 a.m., (Israeli) Prime Minister (Benjamin) Netanyahu was already giving a lecture about what happened in Amsterdam, while we were still gathering the facts.”

Halsema expressed frustration with how Israeli officials and domestic politicians used her comments to frame the violence as targeted attacks on Israelis. She described this as "propaganda" and emphasized that the term "pogrom," which she used in a press conference, had been manipulated to serve political agendas.

“If I had known it would be weaponized in this way, I would not have used that word,” she said, acknowledging her regret over the term’s unintended implications.

The mayor also criticized the failure of local security services to anticipate the violence, saying the authorities had no prior warning about potential provocations from Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters.

She said although they were prepared for possible tensions, she did not know Maccabi fans are known as ultra-nationalist. “That information was not known to me...The story of a racist club was never properly told to me,” she said.

Halsema called for an impartial inquiry to determine how events unfolded so poorly.

The clashes following Ajax-Maccabi Tel Aviv game included incidents of Israeli fans removing Palestinian flags, assaulting Arab taxi drivers, and chanting inflammatory slogans.

On the night of the incidents the Israeli government quickly portrayed the violence as attacks on Israelis, despite the initial confrontations involving Maccabi supporters.