Thousands of ‘Christian friends’ rally in support for Israel in Amsterdam

www.jns.org/news/israel-news/thousands-of-christian-friends-rally-in-support-for-israel-in-amsterdam

People exiting the Christians for Israel and Israel Product Center in Nijkerk, the Netherlands, on July 15, 2025. Credit: Courtesy of Christians for Israel.

“What you’re doing here tonight is amazing and I salute you all,” the Israeli ambassador to the Netherlands said.

(Sept. 19, 2026 / JNS)

Thousands of Dutch people gathered at Dam Square in Amsterdam on Thursday evening to show their support for Israel.

The Israeli embassy in the Netherlands described the rally as “heartwarming,” and thanked the attendees on behalf of the Jewish state.

Ambassador Zvi Vapni applauded “our amazing Christian friends,” who came out “despite the rain and wind” and rolled out a large Israeli flag at the heart of the iconic square.

Vapni thanked the attendees in a short video message screened on a stage, saying that Israel and its supporters are facing a “very challenging time.”

The “distorted version of reality” spread by the media, coupled with anti-Israel and antisemitic agendas pushed by politicians in parliament, make it important to let the world know that Israel has many friends in the Netherlands, the diplomat continued.

“What you’re doing here tonight is amazing and I salute you all. You send a message of truth over lies, of courage over fear; you send a message that says, ‘We stand together because we know the truth,’” he said.

Dutch sanctions on Judea and Samaria to take effect on Sept. 22

A Dutch court on Wednesday rejected the petition of a local importer and a Jewish group against the government’s decision to ban the import of goods made or marketed by Israelis in Judea and Samaria.

In their petition for an injunction against the ban, which the government said would come into effect next week, the Israel Product Center and the European Jewish Association (IPC and EJA, respectively) listed five justifications for their case, including E.U. regulations that ensure trade across the bloc, and the freedom of commerce of Dutch citizens.

The Court of The Hague said the EJA, which is a Belgian organization, had no legal standing in the Netherlands and therefore cannot be considered as a petitioner.

The Dutch ban on Israeli-made goods from Judea, Samaria and the Golan Heights is set to come into effect on Sept. 22. Intentional violations will be considered a criminal act and will carry a maximum sentence of six years in prison or a fine of up to €103,000 ($117,000), according to the decree.

In response, the Israeli government decided to evict the Dutch from the U.S.-led International Gaza Support Center (IGSC), formerly known as the Civil-Military Coordination Center (CMCC), in the southern Israeli city of Kiryat Gat, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said last month.

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Al Jazeera fires 24 employees with terrorist ties

 https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-909098

Al Jazeera fires 24 journalists, staff from Gaza with terrorist ties to Hamas, PIJ

A lawsuit filed in February 2025 named the employees. Some Al Jazeera staff members had ties to terrorist organizations and, in some cases, were members of those groups.

Al Jazeera has fired 24 journalists and staff members who worked for the network in the Gaza Strip, amid a lawsuit filed in the US accusing the Qatari broadcaster of providing support to Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), Ynet reported on Friday.

The NGO and civil rights group Shurat HaDin filed the lawsuit in February 2025, with support from the pro-Israel advocacy group StandWithUs. It names the employees and alleges that some Al Jazeera staff members had ties to terrorist organizations and, in some cases, were members of those groups.

The Jerusalem Post reported in June that the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) would conduct a comprehensive review of its database of journalists killed during the Israel-Hamas War after Hamas and PIJ published obituaries identifying individuals previously listed by CPJ as journalists as members of their organizations.

In a statement on June 25, CPJ said it had removed 20 names from its database after confirming that those individuals had worked for Hamas or PIJ.

The review followed Israeli media reports that identified several individuals previously listed as journalists by international organizations as having ties to Hamas or PIJ.

Moaz Abu Taha, a Palestinian journalist who had worked with some Palestinian and international outlets, takes a selfie with fellow journalists in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on January 18, 2025. (credit: BASHAR TALEB/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES)

CPJ outlines criteria for listing journalists in database

“CPJ has always been clear that we do not include anyone in our data sets if there is evidence that they were engaging in combat or inciting imminent violence,” CPJ CEO Jodie Ginsberg said in the statement.

“This is consistent with international humanitarian law, which considers journalists affiliated with non-state actors to be civilians, provided they do not directly participate in hostilities.”

According to CPJ, the organization uses at least two independent sources of information, desk-based research, and, where possible, in-person reporting before adding an individual to its database as a journalist or media worker.

CPJ said that in-person verification by researchers outside Gaza has not been possible since the beginning of the war, because Israel has not allowed international correspondents access to the territory.

CPJ pushes for access for foreign media in Gaza

The organization has petitioned the Israeli government and the Supreme Court to reverse the restrictions preventing foreign journalists from entering Gaza.

“CPJ condemns in no uncertain terms the misrepresentation of combatants as journalists or media workers, or the misuse of ‘Press’ insignia,” Ginsberg said. “Such actions endanger every single individual journalist legitimately trying to report. We are conducting a full review of the names on our lists to confirm that no one who was actively engaged in combat is listed in our data.”

https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-909098

Sweden Expels Iranian Diplomat

https://www.jns.org/news/antisemitism/sweden-expels-iranian-diplomat-for-targeting-jews

Sweden expels Iranian diplomat for targeting Jews

The ambassador of the Islamic Republic has been summoned following evidence linking his country to attempts to threaten Jewish locals, and Iranian dissidents.

Sweden has expelled an Iranian embassy employee and summoned the country’s ambassador for allegedly threatening Jewish and Israeli interests in Sweden, the country’s justice minister said on Wednesday.

“We know that Iran, over a long period of time, has conducted activities that threaten security in and against Sweden, targeting both individuals who oppose the Iranian regime and various Jewish and Israeli interests in our country,” Justice Minister Gunnar Strommer said in a statement to AFP. “This has, among other things, been done by making use of criminal networks.”

The Iranian embassy did not immediately respond to AFP‘s request for comment, the news agency reported.

The Swedish Security Service (Sapo) has previously accused Iran of recruiting criminal gang members to commit “acts of violence” against Israeli and other interests in Sweden, a claim Iran has denied.

“When it comes to what has prompted the government’s announcement today, I am not in a position to go into any details, as it concerns our intelligence work,” Sapo spokesman Jonathan Svensson told AFP.

“We can confirm that Iran continues to engage in activities that pose security threats in and against Sweden. This includes, among other things, attempts to use proxies, such as criminal networks, to carry out attacks or acts of violence,” he said.

In June 2024, two containers packed with plastic explosives were found outside the offices of Israeli military technology firm Elbit Systems in Gothenburg. In October that year, a 13-year-old boy discharged a firearm at the entrance to an Elbit Systems facility.

A Swedish court in April 2025 sentenced four teenagers to prison for recruiting the boy to carry out the shooting.

In May 2025, gunshots were fired outside the Israeli embassy.

Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard said on Wednesday that the embassy employee was asked to leave over “activities that are not compatible with the Vienna Convention on diplomatic relations.”

The U.S. Justice Department announced in May an eight-count indictment against Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi, an Iraqi-Iranian national accused of directing terrorist attacks, including plots targeting Jewish sites in New York and London.

Federal prosecutors charged Al-Saadi, 32, who was transferred to the United States earlier this year, with terrorism-related offenses linked to Kata’ib Hezbollah and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

The department alleges that Al-Saadi helped coordinate nearly 20 attacks and attempted attacks in Europe and the United States, including seeking out operatives to attack a Manhattan synagogue.

https://www.jns.org/news/antisemitism/sweden-expels-iranian-diplomat-for-targeting-jews

IDF raids 1,200 terror sites, arrests 230 suspects in Judea and Samaria

www.israelnationalnews.com

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qi9rwuOYV5U

IDF troops are operating to thwart terrorism in Judea and Samaria.

 

Over the past several months, soldiers conducted operational searches at more than 1,200 locations, including a facility for the production of explosive devices, and apprehended approximately 230 wanted individuals. 

In addition, soldiers located a large quantity of terror equipment and weapons, including M16 assault rifles, magazines, ammunition, pistols, and submachine guns. 

The IDF stated that its troops will continue to operate to thwart terrorism and maintain security in Judea and Samaria.

Israel & Morocco Upgrade Relations

https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-908835

https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/israel/diplomacy/artc-israel-morocco-upgrade-ties-as-abraham-accords-mark-six-years

Israel, Morocco agree to upgrade diplomatic ties, expand flights at US-backed summit

At summit meeting between Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita, and US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz

Israel, Morocco and the US held a trilateral diplomatic summit in New York on Wednesday, agreeing to advance the Abraham Accords.

The meeting of Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita, and US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz comes a day after the sixth anniversary of the Abraham Accords.

The three countries reaffirmed their commitment to steps including upgrading diplomatic relations between Israel and Morocco, raising the status of their respective diplomatic missions to embassies and appointing ambassadors.

The Israeli government's official Arabic-language X/Twitter account also published details of the agreements reached at the summit.

Israel, Morocco agree to deepen economic ties

Israel and Morocco also agreed to conclude agreements on investment protection and the prevention of double taxation by the end of 2026.

A Morocco's fan waves a flag ahead of the 2026 World Cup round of 32 football match between the Netherlands and Morocco at the Monterrey Stadium in Guadalupe on June 29, 2026; illustrative (credit: Julio Cesar AGUILAR / AFP via Getty Images)

The agreements are intended to facilitate reciprocal investment and strengthen economic and business ties between the two countries.

It was also agreed to expand flights between Israel and Morocco to include flights operated by Moroccan airlines, implementing this expansion by the end of 2026.

The sides further agreed that Israel and Morocco would hold reciprocal high-level visits in the coming months.

Sa'ar addresses future of Israel-Morocco relations

The Jerusalem Post saw the full text of Sa'ar's remarks during the summit. During his speech, he thanked the leadership of the US, particularly Donald Trump, as well as Prime Minister Netanyahu, and the leaders of Morocco, the UAE, and Bahrain.

Addressing FM Bourita, Sa'ar said Morocco has a "very special place in this vision" and expressed hope that more Moroccans visit Israel and vice versa, as a way of continuing the friendship.

"The friendship between the Moroccan and Jewish peoples has deep roots and a rich history," said Foreign Minister Sa’ar said.

"The declaration we signed today outlines practical ways to upgrade ties between Israel and Morocco for the benefit of both peoples, and we will work to implement it."

Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon celebrated the announcement with a social media post on Thursday, congratulated the people involved, and said, "This week, together with ambassadors from the US, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, and Kazakhstan, we marked six years since the historic Abraham Accords. Today, we continue to strengthen them through actions, not just declarations."

"We will continue to strengthen the partnerships and expand the circle of peace in the region," he added.

https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-908835

Israel, Morocco upgrade ties as Abraham Accords mark six years

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Israel thanked the US for enabling the trilateral summit and its "steadfast pursuit of peace and security"