Thousands of Christians rally for Israel in Amsterdam; dozens of counter-protesters arrested
Dutch media reports 13 people remain in custody; public prosecutors deciding whether to press charges against them for defying ban on staging counter-demonstrations
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Thousands of Dutch Christian pro-Israel demonstrators participated in a “Stand Up for Israel” solidarity rally at Dam Square in Amsterdam on Thursday.
Dozens of pro-Palestinian protesters gathered in the area as well, defying a municipal ban on counterprotests.
Some of the main speakers at the pro-Israel rally, organized by Christians for Israel, included Dutch Chief Rabbi Binyamin Jacobs along with Chris Stoffer, who heads the conservative Reformed Political Party.
According to Dutch media, 45 pro-Palestinian activists were arrested after they disrupted the event at Dam Square, and 13 people remained in custody. The Dutch public prosecution service was set to decide whether to bring charges against the counterprotesters for defying the ban.
During the rally, a massive Palestinian flag was reportedly unfurled from the balcony of an H&M store near the square.
Footage showed several pro-Israel protesters pulling down the flag to cheers from the rallying crowd, as police looked on.
A huge Palestinian flag was unfurled from a building above an H&M store in Amsterdam during a pro-Israel demonstration
The action took place on Dam Square, where several thousand people had gathered for the “Stand Up for Israel” rally.
Pro-Palestinian activists lowered the…
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) September 18, 2026
Israeli ambassador to the Netherlands Zvi Vapni shared on X a video of his recorded message at the pro-Israel event, thanking the crowd for their support.
“Thousands of our Christian friends gathered tonight at Dam Square in Amsterdam to show their support for Israel. Truth will prevail over lies, and courage over intimidation. I thanked them for this amazing evening in a short video message,” he tweeted.
Despite the rain and wind, our amazing Christian friends didn't back down—they rolled out our flag in Dam Square in Amsterdam yesterday.
We thank them for their support and salute their unwavering commitment! pic.twitter.com/0gjDAFlhLM
— Amb. Zvi A. Vapni (@vapni) September 18, 2026
In April, a Christian pro-Israel center was hit by an explosion outside its gates. No one was hurt in the blast, and a police investigation was ongoing.
The incident came after a string of similar attacks on Jewish sites across Europe that has heightened concerns over antisemitism in the wake of the conflict in the Middle East.
The Times of Israel Community.