Israeli citizens have been warned to avoid sporting and cultural events in Britain and Europe following the violence that erupted in Amsterdam last week.
Citing intelligence that pro-Palestinian groups plan to target Israelis in several European countries including Britain, France and Belgium, Israel advised its citizens against attending events in which the country was participating.
Examples include a UEFA Nations League fixture between Israel and France scheduled to take place in Paris on Thursday.
THE ANNUAL JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL
In the UK, the annual Jewish Film Festival is due to take place this week.
Israel’s National Security Council said that it had intelligence that Palestine groups intended to use protests as a cover for harming Israelis and Jews.
It said that ‘terrorists’ would exploit mass gatherings ‘to maximise damage and the media coverage’, the Times reported.
Israelis are urged to avoid identifying themselves in European cities, particularly in areas with a ‘large migrant population from countries opposed to Israel’.
Last Thursday, Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters were subject to antisemitic attacks in the Dutch capital after the side’s clash with Ajax.
The city’s mayor Femke Halsema did not hold back her disappointment as she labelled the violence as an ‘explosion of anti-Semitism’ and likened the scenes to past pogroms of Jews.
She said the city had been ‘deeply damaged, the Jewish culture has been threatened.’
Some 800 officers were deployed to tackle the violence, which saw Israel evacuate its football fans from Amsterdam, as police admitted that things got out of control.
People who were out in the city at the time were forced to seek shelter in shops, according to reports, while hundreds of Israelis shut themselves in their hotels as they waited for the violence to subside.
Tensions were reportedly frayed in Amsterdam in the run-up to the match, as fans of the Israeli side teared down a Palestinian flag from a building.
Footage also emerged of provocative chants including, ‘Let the IDF win, we will f— the Arabs,’ and, ‘F— you, Palestine.’
French President Emmanuel Macron will attend his nation’s match against Israel at the Stade de France next week in a show of solidarity. Thousands of extra police officers will be drafted in to maintain order, the government confirmed.
