Wednesday, July 9, 2025

Polaris of Enlightenment

Ajax vs Maccabi Tel Aviv: What really happened in Amsterdam?

The situation in Gaza

Published 2 December 2024
– By Ivana Bratovanova
4 minute read

Violence erupted in Amsterdam following the UEFA Europa League match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv on November 7, 2024. Tensions between rival football fans escalated into violent confrontations, leaving several injured and resulting in multiple arrests.

Moroccan-born State Secretary Nora Achahbar resigned in protest, criticizing the Dutch government’s handling of the events, which she claimed unfairly targeted immigrant communities.

On the night before the match, around 11 pm local time, four people were arrested after pro-Palestinian graffiti was sprayed at the Johan Cruyff Arena, where the game was scheduled to take place.

Later that night, a group of Maccabi fans reportedly tore down and burned a Palestinian flag from a building facade. Videos captured some supporters chanting slogans like “Ole” and “F— you Palestine”, while a taxi was vandalized. Following a call on social media, a group of Muslim taxi drivers reportedly headed to the Holland Casino, where approximately 400 Israeli supporters were gathered. Authorities quickly intervened, dispersing the group and escorting the supporters out of the casino.

Authorities reported “relatively small” confrontations continuing near the casino later that night.

We wil f— the Arabs”

The next day, at around 1 pm CET, Maccabi supporters gathered at Dam Square for a pro-Israel demonstration. Videos posted online captured some fans chanting anti-Arab slogans, such as “Death to the Arabs” and “Let the IDF win. We will f— the Arabs”. Another Palestinian flag was torn down during the demonstration, leading to two arrests.

A pro-Palestinian protest, initially planned outside the Johan Cruyff Arena during the match, was relocated by Amsterdam’s mayor, Femke Halsema, to a remote location. The decision, aimed at preventing further clashes, was met with criticism from activists.

Targeted attacks after the match

After Ajax’s 5-0 victory, messages appeared on social media “confirming that there are groups that are looking for a confrontation with Maccabi supporters”, according to Tuesday’s report. Officials cited screenshots from messaging apps that called for a “Jew hunt”. Groups of masked youths on scooters and e-bikes targeted Maccabi supporters, chasing and assaulting them in what authorities described as “hit-and-run” attacks. At least five people were hospitalized, and 20 to 30 others sustained minor injuries.

Videos circulated showing people being kicked and beaten in the streets. In one clip, a man was heard shouting at a victim lying on the ground, “This is for the children! For the children, motherf—-r. Free Palestine now”. Another video showed men, some wearing Maccabi fan colors, picking up pipes and boards from a construction site before chasing and assaulting a man.

Later that night the Israeli ambassador contacted the mayor saying there was “lots of anger” in Israel over the events in Amsterdam. More footage in social media showed some Maccabi fans at the Tel Aviv Ben Gurion International Airport singing “Why is school out in Gaza? There are no children left there”.

Police shoving pro-Palestinian supporters

Dutch police arrested 62 people, including Dutch and Israeli citizens. Four Dutch men remain in custody for further investigation. Authorities also launched a probe using CCTV and social media footage to identify perpetrators.

Two days later, on November 10, police detained 50 people at a pro-Palestinian rally for ignoring a protest ban. Another 340 individuals were transported by bus to the outskirts of the city. Critics accused the police of using excessive force, particularly against peaceful protesters.

Giordano Gronchi, a witness to these events, shares his experience with The Nordic Times:

I was present to take footage rather than protest outright, but things turned ugly quickly. Police began harassing protestors—pushing, shoving, and slamming into them. Protestors formed groups, but the police encircled them, tightening their rings with vans. They pulled people out, subdued them, and arrested many.

At one point, I moved to a group near Damrak street, where protestors were chanting and playing drums, entirely non-violent. Police in riot gear funneled them into Nieuwendijk street, announcing the protest was illegal. The street became a blockade, with riot officers sealing both ends. Customers from nearby stores were also trapped in the cramped space.

I was behind the police line filming when an officer shoved me into Nieuwendijk. I explained I wasn’t protesting, but I wasn’t listened to. Inside, I was told everyone in the blockade was under arrest. After showing my ID, I was let out. Later, I heard the police began beating people and arrested most protesters.

Investigations to focus on “antisemitic motives”

Rioters set fire to an empty tram and damaged several cars. A police car was also set alight. Videos posted on social media showed the attackers shouting “Free Palestine” and throwing fireworks and other objects at the tram. Dutch authorities made five more arrests.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the attacks on Maccabi supporters as a “planned antisemitic attack” and compared them to the 1938 Kristallnacht pogrom. Dutch King Willem-Alexander expressed concern about the violence, citing the Netherlands’ history of failing to protect its Jewish community during the Holocaust.

Following the events, Moroccan-born State Secretary Nora Achahbar resigned from the Dutch government in protest against what she described as racist remarks made by her colleagues. Achahbar’s resignation followed a cabinet meeting on November 11, where she openly criticized the language used by members of Prime Minister Dick Schoof’s administration to describe the violence in Amsterdam.

Achahbar expressed dissatisfaction with the government’s narrative, which she felt unfairly targeted immigrant communities, particularly Dutch-Moroccans, while ignoring provocations from Maccabi supporters. Opposition leaders have since voiced support for Achahbar, condemning the government’s handling of the situation and calling for greater accountability and transparency.

Investigations to determine the perpetrators are still underway. Authorities are focusing on identifying the perpetrators through CCTV and social media analysis. The public prosecutor has stated that the investigation will prioritize antisemitic motives behind the attacks. Additionally, a partial state of emergency was declared, allowing police to conduct random stop-and-search operations to prevent further violence.

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Israel wants to relocate entire Gaza population

The situation in Gaza

Published yesterday 12:56
– By Editorial Staff
Israel Katz orders the Israeli military to establish a concentrated zone for the population in Gaza.
2 minute read

The Netanyahu government in Israel has announced through Defense Minister Israel Katz that the Israeli military will establish a controlled area at the border with Egypt. The stated goal is to concentrate Gaza’s entire population in the area, which they are calling a “humanitarian city”.

The Israeli military IDF will guard the new area in the city to be built on the ruins of the bombed city of Rafah in southern Gaza, according to the Israeli government’s plans as reported by Israeli newspapers including Haaretz and Jerusalem Post. According to Katz, planning for the construction could begin during the 60-day ceasefire currently being negotiated.

The stated goal is to gather Gaza’s entire population in the limited zone at the border with Egypt. Katz states that the plan is for people entering the area to be thoroughly screened to ensure they are not connected to Hamas, and that once they enter the area, they will not be allowed to leave again. The advantage for them of entering there, officials explain, is that the area will not be attacked by the Israeli military, and basic necessities will be available.

The project is justified by Katz, like Israel’s Gaza policy in general, as aimed at reducing the influence of the Islamist resistance movement Hamas.

International warnings of ethnic cleansing

A large number of countries have long accused Israel of pursuing an ethnic cleansing project in Gaza, and UN Secretary-General António Guterres has also warned that the intention from the Israeli side appears to be to drive out the Palestinian population.

The intention might be for the Palestinians to leave Gaza, for others to occupy it, Guterres stated during the COP16 conference in Colombia in October last year.

– We will do everything possible to help them remain there and to avoid ethnic cleansing that might occur if there is not strong determination from the international community, he continued.

Swedish doctor in Gaza: “A haze of blood”

The situation in Gaza

Published 7 July 2025
– By Editorial Staff
2 minute read

Foreign journalists are not allowed to enter Gaza, but continued reports are coming from healthcare workers about a catastrophic humanitarian situation. Swedish doctor Märit Halmin is one of 300 reportedly working at a field hospital and entered with a UN convoy.

It becomes like a haze of blood, gunshot wounds, explosion injuries, amputations, she says.

I don’t really have words to describe it, I had followed the news reporting before I came here and thought I would be prepared but it’s so terrible, she tells Swedish public radio P1.

When I entered Gaza and was driven here it was almost like a moonscape, there are no buildings. There are just piles of rubble and debris, dust and sand from destroyed concrete. Everything is destroyed, she recounts.

“Bizarre and brutal injuries”

Halmin has previously been deployed in Yemen and Syria, but says the proportions in Gaza are completely different with masses of injured civilians streaming in with very severe injuries.

I can’t even distinguish the individual patients because there are so many coming in with such bizarre and brutal injuries. It becomes like a haze of blood, gunshot wounds, explosion injuries, amputations, she says.

Help exists – but doesn’t get in

The doctor reports that there is a shortage of all types of resources, where the field hospitals have to improvise extensively and assist each other with the equipment they have, and she states that even her healthcare colleagues are severely malnourished.

I think the main problem right now is perhaps not that too little help is being sent but that somehow there’s a silent acceptance that the help doesn’t get in because of the blockade that exists against Gaza.

US approves $510 million weapons sale to Israel

The situation in Gaza

Published 1 July 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Crew aboard USS John C. Stennis prepares to move MK-82/BLU 111 bombs.
1 minute read

The United States has approved a $510 million weapons sale to Israel, including thousands of bomb guidance systems, the Pentagon announces. The deliveries come as Israel faces repeated accusations of committing genocide in Gaza, partially carried out using American bombs.

In a statement, the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said the sale includes 3,845 Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) guidance systems and additional guidance systems for the MK 82 bomb.

“The United States is committed to the security of Israel”, the DSCA stated, adding that the sale “is vital to US national interests”.

The prime contractor is Boeing, based in St. Charles, Missouri.

The deal comes at a time of increased international scrutiny of US military support for Israel, as civilian casualties in Gaza continue to rise due to Israeli bombing campaigns.

Priest in West Bank’s last Christian village: “We live under constant fire from settlers”

The situation in Gaza

Published 29 June 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Today, Taybeh has approximately 1,300 inhabitants, and the village has maintained a Christian presence for at least 1,500 years.
3 minute read

Violence is escalating in the West Bank – including in Taybeh, the very last entirely Christian village in the region. Here, residents have experienced firsthand how extreme Jewish settlers are intensifying their attacks against Palestinian communities in the area.

– We live under constant fire from settlers, and under the crossfire of the Israeli occupation army, says Bashar Fawadleh to AsiaNews.

Fawadleh has been the parish priest at the Church of the Redeemer, which belongs to the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, since 2021. He reports that the violence has forced more than ten Christian families to leave Taybeh since October 2024.

Taybeh, with approximately 1,300 residents, is located about 30 kilometers north of Jerusalem and 15 kilometers northeast of Ramallah in the West Bank. The village is surrounded by both Palestinian communities and several Jewish settlements. During the past week, residents, both Latin Catholic and Greek Orthodox, have experienced an escalation in attacks.

On Tuesday, June 25, dozens of masked settlers attacked the nearby village of Kafr Malik. According to journalist Ihab Hassan, the attack was carried out with support from the Israeli army. The settlers reportedly shot at civilians and set fire to cars and houses – three people were killed and nine were injured, one seriously.

Refuse to abandon their homes

Parish priest Fawadleh describes the situation in the village as desperate. In a statement to news agency ACIMENA, he says:

– Yesterday (Wednesday) evening, settlers attacked homes in the Karamelo roundabout, an area at the eastern entrance to the village

– The incident coincided with an attack by dozens of settlers on the village of Kafr Malik, which is near us, and which led to the death of three martyrs and the burning of many vehicles and homes.

Despite the violence, he says Taybeh’s residents refuse to yield or abandon their homes:

– We are living in very difficult conditions, but we are not afraid to remain in our land. We are not afraid of those who kill. We are a people who love our land and will never abandon it.

Aim to ethnically cleanse the area

The situation in the West Bank has been unstable since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, and settler attacks have escalated in recent months. According to analysts, extremist Jewish settler groups are trying to drive out both Muslims and Christians from areas they consider “the promised land”.

At the same time, radical settlers have gained political strength. Through their influence in the government – particularly via the Jewish Power and Religious Zionist parties – their agenda has gained increased traction.

Both parties are part of the coalition led by Benjamin Netanyahu and have pushed for expansion of settlements, increased arming of settlers, and a tougher stance against Palestinians in the West Bank.

Recently, The Nordic Times reported how Jewish settlers near the Gaza border openly advocate for ethnic cleansing, wanting all Palestinians to be expelled – so they can take over the area themselves.

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