The first plane carrying Israelis evacuated from Amsterdam arrives in Tel Aviv

The first plane landed at Lod Airport (Ben Gurion) on Friday carrying Israelis evacuated from the Netherlands after clashes on Thursday on the sidelines of a football match between Ajax Amsterdam and Maccabi Tel Aviv sparked international condemnation.

Several people were injured on Thursday in violence that Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema described as “anti-Semitic”.

The first evacuation plane from Amsterdam just arrived in Tel Aviv, Israeli aviation authority’s spokeswoman Lisa Dvir said in a statement.

In a press conference, Halsema said that people attacked Maccabi Tel Aviv fans before fleeing, and that rioters on scooters pursued the Israelis.

A temporary ban on demonstrations in the Dutch capital was announced.

In turn, Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof condemned the “horrific anti-Semitic attack” in Amsterdam.

Dutch police confirmed that the tension began 24 hours before the match.

Spokesman Peter Hola reported incidents on both sides on Wednesday night.

“Maccabi fans removed a flag from the facade of a building in Roken, and destroyed a taxi… A Palestinian flag was set on fire in Dam,” a district of the capital, he continued.

The police were on alert and monitoring a number of incidents that occurred.

Social media users circulated several unverified photos and videos, which they said showed violence and tensions.

Footage showed people chasing others in the street or kicking them as they lay on the ground, while others showed what were said to be Israeli fans chanting anti-Arab slogans or pulling down a large Palestinian flag from a building balcony.

Israeli officials compared these scenes to the attack launched by Hamas on Israel on October 7, 2023, which was the spark that sparked the bloody war in the Gaza Strip.

“We’re following with horror this morning the shocking images and videos that we hoped we would never see again after October 7,” Israeli President Isaac Herzog said in a statement.

“An anti-Semitic pogrom against Maccabi Tel Aviv fans, Israeli citizens, in the heart of Amsterdam,” he continued.

The phrase is used to refer to the attacks and massacres that Jews were subjected to under the Russian Empire in the 19th century, and has come to be used to refer to their being subjected to systematic attacks.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the “anti-Semitic attack” in a call with his Dutch counterpart Dick Schoof.

Netanyahu said he “views the premeditated anti-Semitic attack on Israeli citizens with the utmost seriousness and has requested increased security for the entire Jewish community in the Netherlands,” according to a statement from his office.

He ordered two planes to be sent to Amsterdam to evacuate fans.

Netanyahu also ordered the head of Mossad to prepare a plan to prevent violence at sporting events.

For his part, the Dutch Prime Minister wrote on X, “I followed with horror the coverage from Amsterdam… Unacceptable anti-Semitic attacks on Israelis,” noting that he assured Netanyahu that the perpetrators will be tracked down and prosecuted.

Netanyahu’s office confirmed that the Israeli Prime Minister views “the horrific incident with extreme seriousness and demands that the Dutch government and Dutch security forces take firm and swift action against the rioters and ensure the safety of our citizens”.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also expressed her dismay at the “despicable attacks targeting Israeli citizens in Amsterdam”.

French President Emmanuel Macron stressed that Paris will continue to fight against hateful anti-Semitism relentlessly, considering that what happened “recalls the darkest moments in history”.

Clashes broke out overnight in central Amsterdam following the match, with local broadcaster AT5 showing police escorting Israeli fans back to their hotel.

Unverified videos showed a number of people believed to be fans of the Israeli team chanting in Hebrew, “Eliminate the Arabs! We will win”.

Israeli authorities have asked their citizens in Amsterdam to stay in their hotels and avoid displaying any Israeli or Jewish symbols outside.

The Dutch police announced on X, Thursday, that it was on alert after reports of incidents and tension.

On Thursday afternoon, about 100 fans of the Israeli club gathered in Dam Square, surrounded by a large police force, before heading to the Johan Cruyff Arena in the southwest of the Dutch capital.

A pro-Palestinian march was initially planned near the stadium to denounce the hosting of the Israeli club, but the Amsterdam municipality asked to hold it a little further away for security reasons.

The tension comes amid Israel’s war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip since the Hamas’ attack on October,6 last year, and the open confrontation with the Lebanese Hezbollah since September after about a year of exchanging shelling across the border.

The clashes in Amsterdam came after fans of the French club Paris Saint-Germain raised a giant banner reading “Free Palestine” during their hosting of the Spanish club Atletico Madrid on Wednesday in the Champions League.

French Interior Minister Bruno Rottaeu said that “there is no place for this banner in this stadium,” and that such behavior is prohibited in local and continental football.

In addition, Rottaeu refused on Friday to change the venue of the France-Israel match in the fifth round of Group 2 of the European Nations League, scheduled for November 14 at the Stade de France in the suburbs of the French capital.

“Some are calling for the France-Israel match to be moved to another location, and I do not accept that: France won’t back down because that would be a concession in the face of threats of violence and anti-Semitism,” he wrote on X.