Dutch Jewish leader warns of growing pressure on Jews after Netherlands sanctions - interview

Jigal Markuszower, president of the Jewish Communities in the Netherlands (NIK), warns that a new Dutch ban on Jewish-made goods from the West Bank, east Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights is escalating pressure on Dutch Jews and Israeli tourists. He describes the policy as the first in a series of measures that mirror the incremental restrictions of the 1930s.

Jigal Markuszower, president of the Jewish Communities in the Netherlands (NIK), warns that a new Dutch ban on goods from Israeli settlements is escalating pressure on Jews in the Netherlands and Israeli tourists. The ban, implemented a week before the interview, prohibits entry of all Jewish-made goods from the West Bank, east Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights, including products with even a single ingredient from those areas. Markuszower says the policy is part of a pattern: Jewish kids were denied a hall for an event with an Israeli flag, and universities are radicalizing. He cites a Maastricht University student who claimed in a video to have participated in the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack, noting that such incidents make life harder for Jewish students. Markuszower says he is trying to maintain contact with the government but feels the majority is not on his side. He draws a cautious parallel to Nazi Germany, saying the current measures mirror the incremental restrictions of the 1930s, though he notes Israel is strong enough to defend itself outside its borders.