From jns.org
El Al flew about 2,000 passengers to Ben Gurion-Airport over the weekend on eight emergency flights from Amsterdam, the Jewish state’s flag carrier said, following a coordinated assault on Israelis there on Thursday night.
Most of the emergency flights left on Friday and two flew on Saturday with special permission from the chief rabbis of Israel, who determined that the circumstances justified this violation of observing the Shabbat.
“All passengers have boarded the flights free of charge, and the company continues to work to add more rescue flights throughout Shabbat,” the company said, adding that the operation had cost it millions of dollars. “We’re proud to continue to serve as an anchor for Israel also in difficult times,” the statement read.
El Al has waived some fees for changing flights tickets from Israel to Amsterdam, it said. Israeli carriers Israir and Arkia added flights at reduces rates from Amsterdam to Israel and from Brussels to Israel, they said.
The emergency flights replaced an Israeli military evacuation plan, which the government scrapped at the last moment after it emerged that the situation on the ground had stabilized, the Prime Minister’s Office said on Saturday.
On Thursday night, dozens of Muslims coordinated a mass assault on dozens of Israeli soccer fans as they left a match between the Maccabi Tel Aviv team and the local Ajax one. Five people were moderately injured along with 20 others who received minor injuries, police said.
The incident followed smaller altercations involving Maccabi fans, who reportedly damaged a taxi cab; stole a PLO flag hanging from a building façade and chanted at a metro station about “letting the IDF win and f***k the Arabs.”
The assaults were the largest-scale antisemitic assault in the Netherlands since the Holocaust, and many Israeli leaders and Dutch Jews called them a pogrom. Video filmed by perpetrators showed scenes of public humiliation, including of an Israel who was forced to his knees and made to say “Free Palestine” before being beaten up. At least one Israeli jumped into a canal to escape his attackers. At least one suspected car ramming was reported.
Israel’s National Security Council instructed Israelis in Amsterdam to stay indoors and avoid all travel, except for to airports. On Saturday, the council lifted that warning and reverted to the previous Level 2 one, which speaks of avoiding displaying signs of being Israeli.
On Saturday, the De Telegraaf daily reported that police had confirmed that unidentified individuals left boobytrapped stickers reading “Free Gaza” in Amsterdam, which had concealed blades designed to cut anyone who tried to remove them. Some of the stickers were found near the National Holocaust Museum.
Law enforcement agents apprehended 62 people ahead of the assaults, Amsterdam Police chief Peter Holla said on Friday.
But Geert Wilders, the head of Netherlands largest party and senor coalition partner, revealed on Saturday that “Amsterdam Police just confirmed that NO ONE has been arrested during the Islamic Jew-hunt in Amsterdam Thursday night. All arrests have been made before and during the soccer match and NOT during the pogrom.”
Prime Minister Dick Schoof said in a statement Saturday that a “thorough investigation” will be carried out about how the event was allowed to happen and to “bring the perpetrators to justice.”
The Municipality of Amsterdam is carrying out its own independent investigation, Mayor Femke Halsema said at a press conference on Friday.
Dutch King Willem-Alexander in a statement on Friday wrote: “We must not look away from antisemitic behavior on our streets. History has taught us how intimidation goes from bad to worse, with horrific consequences. Jewish people must feel safe in the Netherlands, everywhere and at all times. We embrace them all and hold them close.”
Israeli President Isaac Herzog said that Willem-Alexander told him that “we failed the Jewish community of the Netherlands during World War II, and last night we failed again.”
The president added in his own statement, “We see with horror this morning, the shocking images and videos that since Oct. 7, we had hoped never to see again: an antisemitic pogrom currently taking place against Maccabi Tel Aviv fans and Israeli citizens in the heart of Amsterdam, Netherlands.”
Gideon Sa’ar, Israel’s new foreign minister, and Amir Ohana, the Knesset speaker, flew to Amsterdam on Friday to help the embassy coordinate efforts to evacuate Israelis who decided to cut short their stays in the Netherlands. source
And all those immigrants should have their bank accounts seized and they should be deported. In Iran last week, a Jewish man was executed last for self- defense where he took away the knife of an assailant and killed him and injured other attackers about 4 years ago when he was 18. God is calling the Jewish people back to the promised land according to His word.
Indeed He IS calling His people home!
Jews can’t catch a break anywhere. They go to a welcoming foreign country for a Jewish event & get attacked. Their own country has to send rescue planes for them.
They get flown back to their homeland surrounded by enemies who vow to kill them all and must keep their heads on swivels daily for the hundreds to thousands of missiles coming from all directions when they do get back to their homes (if still standing).
For time immemorial Jews have been hated & run out of every country they have settled in & u would think at some point after all the persecution for centuries they would understand that Jesus is their only way to real peace. After all the Jews wrote about Him in the OT & dutifully preserved those precious Scriptures. They have been labeled “Christ killers” but they themselves also hate Christ in spite of the past opportunity to receive Him in Person as their King but would not so instead He went to the cross for all mankind.
Their refusal does not compute with me but someday soon God in His mercy will take off the blinders & they a small Jewish remnant will finally “get it” this time forever after they suffer another holocaust during the 7 yr Tribulation from the coming 666 Satanic head rascal of all time. Then all of it will make sense.
I had a very long response to your comment, and suddenly it was zapped out – poof – gone. I guess battling the evil one is a big part of serving the Lord, but it sure is tiresome and exasperating. I will say this: PLEASE read ROMANS 11- the entire chapter and read it slowly. Paul explains WHY the partial blindness of my people to YESHUA happened and continues to happen. I will post Romans 11 here:
(Romans 11) I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.
2 God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew. Wot ye not what the scripture saith of Elias? how he maketh intercession to God against Israel saying,
3 Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down thine altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life.
4 But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal.
5 Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace.
6 And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then it is no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.
7 What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded.
8 (According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day.
9 And David saith, Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumblingblock, and a recompence unto them:
10 Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their back alway.
11 I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy.
12 Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness?
13 For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office:
14 If by any means I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh, and might save some of them.
15 For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead?
16 For if the firstfruit be holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root be holy, so are the branches.
17 And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert grafted in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree;
18 Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee.
19 Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be grafted in.
20 Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear:
21 For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee.
22 Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.
23 And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be grafted in: for God is able to graft them in again.
24 For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert grafted contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree?
25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:
27 For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.
28 As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the father’s sakes.
29 For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.
30 For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief:
31 Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy.
32 For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.
33 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!
34 For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor?
35 Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again?
36 For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.
Thanks for your response. Scripture is always the best explanation but many don’t read or study it & only Messianic Jews read the NT & Romans 11. I was attempting to be of the secular mindset in my posting & I do appreciate your Biblical response. Israel is very secular these days & many may wonder why especially Jewish folks. They just want to be left alone & do their secular thing w/o Christ. Hellenization was part & parcel of being Jewish in their history. I think ur posting was a sign post pointing back to God’s precious Word for a thorough explanation of His plan for the Jewish people in case they & the world has forgotten or ignored it. I hope u get my point even if being a rather sloppy presentation.
Your presentation was not sloppy at all! It gave me the chance to post Romans 11, one of my favorite NT Scripture passages.
We know that Romans 11 speaks of the unbelief of most Jews, but Paul also speaks of the reason WHY God caused the partial blindness:
“(According as it is written, GOD HATH GIVEN THEM the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day” (Romans 11:8). (Emphasis added)
God himself did it!! And WHY?
“For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:
27 For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.” (ROMANS 11:25-27).
Don’t you absolutely LOVE to watch God working through His WORD?!!
Absolutely! We honor & worship a God of unlimited “second” chances. We promise to do better etc but are prone to breaking our promises to Him. However He always is ready to forgive & forget our sins (as far as east is from the west) if we sincerely repent (change our sinful direction) & He NEVER breaks His promises. We that become born again is a result of His promises & the nudging of His Holy Spirit or maybe His woodshed for a lump of coal helps keep us as we should be an ambassador for Christ.