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