On Sunday, more than 200,000 people gathered in Amsterdam to protest Israel’s war in Gaza, demanding that the Dutch government take stronger action against the conflict. The demonstration, organized by the Dutch branch of Amnesty International, was part of the city’s ongoing “Red Line” campaign, which has seen large crowds march through Dutch streets in recent months.
Participants, many wearing red clothing, called for tighter trade restrictions on Israel and an immediate halt to all arms sales. “What is happening there is inhumane,” said Mike van Dongen, an organizer who walked through the crowd. He added that Dutch authorities had done little to address the situation, stating, “They don’t dare take any serious steps.”
The march closed a busy Amsterdam street to traffic, and a man at a bus stop shouted, “Free, free Palestine!” The chant was echoed by thousands of marchers as they moved through the city.
Israel’s offensive in Gaza has killed at least 74,000 Palestinians, including 21,000 children, since the war began in October 2023. Despite a ceasefire that took effect on October 10 last year, Israeli attacks have continued almost daily.
The protest followed earlier demonstrations in The Hague and Amsterdam in 2023, reflecting growing frustration over the strained Dutch‑Israeli relationship. The Dutch foreign minister resigned last year after failing to secure new sanctions against Israel, and a new minority coalition government introduced an import ban on products from Israeli settlements in February. The ban, deemed illegal by the Dutch government and much of the international community, sparked a diplomatic spat with Israel.
Prime Minister Rob Jetten, who had participated in a march last year but was not present on Sunday, defended his government’s actions at a weekly news conference on Friday. “Every single day and every single week, we do what we can to alleviate the terrible situation there,” he said. He added that his administration was “exerting greater political and diplomatic pressure” on Israel to comply with its agreements on Gaza.
Source: Al Jazeera
Read the original article
Editorial note: This is an original news report prepared from the attributed source material with AI assistance. It is not a reproduction or translation of the original article.
