Dutch Complicity: Chants, Cash, and Campus Warfare Against Israel

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The war against Israel is also being fought on Dutch soil. On May 7, 2025, the Dutch government announced it would pause its partnership programs with Israeli institutions, explicitly drawing a “line in the sand” and marking a concerning shift in Dutch-Israeli relations. Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp, previously the Dutch ambassador to Israel, spearheaded this policy shift with carefully timed public statements spanning several months leading up to the decision. Between early March and mid-June 2024, Veldkamp explicitly prioritized a ceasefire, repeatedly asserting on social media statements such as: “A lasting ceasefire between Israel and Hamas is the best path to securing the release of hostages.” By consistently mirroring Hamas’s demands, and continuing to present this stance even now, he reversed the logical humanitarian priority of first ensuring the hostages’ release before negotiating a ceasefire.

Veldkamp’s statements on social media appeared systematically constructed, repeatedly emphasizing humanitarian concerns and echoing Hamas’s demands for a ceasefire. This strategic framing subtly assigned primary responsibility to Israel, reinforcing Hamas’s narrative. The careful and consistent messaging over several months suggests deliberate alignment rather than casual diplomacy. This troubling diplomatic stance was further amplified by staff within Veldkamp’s ministry openly participating in anti-Israel demonstrations, alongside former diplomats frequently promoting anti-Israel narratives in Dutch media. This institutional alignment significantly influenced public opinion and governmental decisions. Additionally, on February 12, 2025, an informal lunch meeting took place at the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, attended by UN rapporteur Francesca Albanese. The meeting, organized by pro-Palestinian officials within the ministry, sparked significant concern from the Jewish Civil Servants Network, which called on senior officials to prohibit the gathering. The ministry clarified that the event was unofficial and not ministry-sanctioned, yet the incident underscored internal divisions and sympathies influencing policy and perceptions regarding the Israel-Palestine conflict.

Universities as Frontlines of Extremism

This diplomatic stance is deeply rooted in years of systematic radicalization at Dutch universities. Groups like Free Palestine Maastricht (FPM) have consistently utilized campuses as hubs for propaganda, normalization of extremist rhetoric, and radical chants explicitly endorsing terrorism:

• “Bil rooh bil dam, nafdike ya Gaza” (With our soul and blood, we redeem you, Gaza)

• “Falasteen horra horra, el sahyouni barra barra” (Palestine free, Zionists out)

• “Long live the armed resistance; there is only one solution, Intifada revolution”

• “Yemen, Yemen, make us proud, turn another ship around”

These chants represent sustained, intentional radicalization campaigns. Historically, Maastricht University students hosted extremist figures such as Leila Khaled (PFLP, 2015) and Mohammed Khatib (Samidoun, 2016), embedding extremist ideologies deeply into academic environments long before October 7, 2023.

Funding under Humanitarian Guise

Dutch universities have inadvertently facilitated extremist fundraising under humanitarian pretenses. At Maastricht University, FPM’s fundraising explicitly benefited extremist-affiliated organizations, notably The Sanabel Team (Pal.Gaza14). Sanabel openly celebrated antisemitic violence in Amsterdam (November 2024), declaring:

“These operations are the continuity of October 7 and will not stop until complete liberation.”

Alarmingly, FPM reposted this message with explicit endorsement: “Kill all Zionists.” Funds were funneled via intermediaries like the Sadaqah Team, Friends of Al-Aqsa, and The Sameer Project—entities banned from mainstream financial platforms due to extremist affiliations. Dutch intelligence (AIVD, 2024) confirmed extensive Hamas fundraising within the Netherlands.

Remarkably, fundraising by FPM and similar groups notably intensified during the final three months of 2024, coinciding with international reports indicating severe financial constraints faced by Hezbollah, Hamas’s Iran-backed ally. While direct causation remains unproven, the timing is undeniably remarkable and warrants careful scrutiny.

Faculty complicity in extremism is equally concerning. At a Dutch university, a lecturer publicly reposted explicit propaganda from Hamas’s Al-Qassam Brigades, effectively amplifying their message celebrating terrorist violence. Institutional silence implicitly endorses such radicalization.

Aggressive campus activism profoundly influenced Dutch society, evident in a recent Ipsos poll (April 2025) showing 54% public support for harsher policies toward Israel. Tangible consequences include the Dutch Court of Appeal halting crucial F-35 component exports to Israel in 2024.

Dutch universities now explicitly pressure Israeli academic partners to oppose their government, further politicizing academia. This strategic radicalization reflects coordinated efforts dating back years, exemplified by the October 2022 Damascus meeting between Hamas, PIJ, and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Notably, Maastricht University previously faced controversy regarding its academic collaborations with Iranian institutions, despite serious concerns raised about potential connections to Iran’s regime. Alarmingly, these controversial ties were openly reaffirmed early this year by Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS), explicitly highlighting Maastricht University on its official website. Astonishingly, this reaffirmation occurred even as Maastricht University had already frozen ties with Israeli universities, pending further investigations by a human rights due diligence committee. This clear double standard reveals a disturbing disregard for geopolitical and ethical implications.

A diplomatic answer is needed

Given these troubling developments, Israel should urgently reconsider academic partnerships with Dutch institutions facilitating extremist funding and propaganda. Dutch universities have become echo chambers amplifying Hamas’s message—actively participating in Hamas’s broader strategic warfare against Israel.

Decisive action would send a clear diplomatic message, compelling Dutch institutions to address their complicity in radicalization. Academic integrity and international security demand immediate action. http://gty.im/2203967336