The crowd gathered near Museumplein, carrying signs reading “Stop the Killing in Gaza,” “End the Genocide” and “Free Palestine.” Protesters called for tighter trade restrictions on Israel and an end to arms sales, according to Al Jazeera. Speakers also urged international solidarity with people in Gaza, where tens of thousands had lost temporary tents and shelters to rain and flooding over the weekend.
“What is happening there is inhumane,” Mike van Dongen told the Associated Press as he marched. He said Dutch authorities were doing nothing and did not dare take serious steps. Rally organizers called on the government to act against an Israeli government they said “continues to kill, displace, and starve people in Gaza and the West Bank.”
The Gaza campaign has strained Dutch-Israeli relations. The Dutch foreign minister resigned last year after failing to secure new sanctions against Israel. A minority coalition government that took power afterward introduced an import ban on products from Israeli settlements, which the Dutch government and most of the international community consider illegal. The move prompted a diplomatic dispute with Israel.
Agence France-Presse interviewed Steven Eisinger, a 33-year-old robotics engineer born in the United States who wore a red scarf. Eisinger, who is Jewish and has family in Israel, said he wanted all arms shipments to Israel to stop. He said he attended to support Palestinians and oppose genocide.
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