Anti-Semitism on the Rise in the Netherlands
The Times of Israel reports that a pro-Palestinian group has attempted to use freedom of information legislation in the Netherlands to gain access to the data that fourteen universities might have “regarding their ties with Israeli and Jewish entities.”
The Universities of Amsterdam, Utrecht, Delft, along with eleven others have publicly announced their intention to not cooperate with the request for such information from The Rights Forum. The latter is considered to be an anti-semitic group.
According to The Times of Israel, “The universities began gathering the information because the query was certified as what is known in the Netherlands as a WOB request, compliance to which is legally required for public or state-funded organisation.
“In the request, Gerard Jonkman, director of The Rights Forum, wrote that under the WOB request, he is seeking documents or information on “institutional ties with Israel universities, institutions and businesses and with organisations that propagate support for the State of Israel.”
“Among the dozens of entities Jonkman listed are Christians for Israel, the Israeli weapons and defence systems producer Elbit, and a right-wing, pro-Israel Dutch-Jewish association.
The Rights Forum also asked for information the universities might have on the “Anti-Defamation League, the Central Jewish Board of the Netherlands, the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, B’nai B’rith and even the Dutch government’s own National Co-ordinator for Fighting Anti-Semitism.”
According to The Times of Israel, The Rights Forum was founded by Dries van Agt, a former Dutch PM. In 2008 he was reported to have said Jews, “should have been given a piece of land in Germany instead of Israel.”
