We open this edition with how the anti-Jewish violence in Amsterdam has added to the urgency felt by European politicians to combat organized anti-Israel hate campaigns that fuel antisemitism. Meanwhile, President-elect Trump’s team initiates actions that resonate with Israel.

Anti-Israel Rally In Amsterdam Defies Ban, Stirs Reactions. Dutch authorities have arrested 50 individuals and broke up a pro-Palestine rally in Amsterdam over the weekend that defied a Dutch ban on unauthorized protests following Thursday’s anti-Jewish pogrom. This comes as the Amsterdam city council schedules an emergency debate tomorrow, Tuesday, to debate the horrific anti-Jewish violence that shocked Europe following a soccer match. The violence has ignited a debate about balancing free speech with public safety, as the media and politicians introspect on anti-Israel activism that fuels antisemitism and normalizes support for terror groups like Hamas and Hezbollah.

ICYMI—American Jewish Congress Condemns Antisemitic Pogrom in Amsterdam.

ICYMI—International Outrage and Introspection in Europe After Anti-Israel Violence in a Major Western City.

ISRAEL URGES CITIZENS TO SKIP PARIS SOCCER MATCH. In a strong security advisory, Israel has called on its citizens to avoid attending the upcoming soccer match in Paris between the Israeli and French national teams. The warning, issued by Israel’s National Security Council and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, comes amid heightened tensions and recent violence targeting Israelis and Jewish communities in Europe [source: Times of Israel]. France rejected calls to postpone the sporting event, considering them as a surrender to hatemongers and antisemites.

BILLIONAIRE INVESTOR BILL ACKMAN SEEKS DELISTING FROM AMSTERDAM EXCHANGE AFTER POGROM. Pershing Square Holdings, in which Ackman and his family own a 23 percent stake, is listed on the Euronext Amsterdam N.V. and the London Stock Exchange (LSE). [See story]

ISRAEL URGES ARAB, MUSLIM STATES TO BE REALISTIC about prospects of establishing a Palestinian state amid a war. “I don’t think this position is realistic today and we must be realistic,” newly appointed Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said in response to a question over the creation of a Palestinian state in exchange for a normalization of ties between Israel and Arab countries. The statement is significant because it coincides with a summit meeting of around 50 Arab and Muslim states in support of a Saudi initiative to expedite the establishment of a Palestinian state. A Palestinian state would be “a Hamas state,” said Minister Sa’ar. 

TRUMP NAMES N.Y. REP. ELISE STEFANIK U.S. AMBASSADOR TO U.N. This is significant because of Rep. Stefanik’s strong position on combating antisemitism in the United States and internationally, and her presence at the UN could be critical when issues such as Hamas’ infiltration of the UNRWA agency and the reluctance of some member states to openly condemn Hamas’ October 7 invasion and massacre in Israel continue to be issues raised during UN meetings. [See story]

ELEVATED TRUMP-NETANYAHU EXCHANGES. President-elect Trump and the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have spoken thrice in less than a week, and the Israeli Prime Minister has said both leaders “see eye to eye”on the Iranian threat to US interests, to Israel, and the region.

© 2020 American Jewish Congress.