Tarek Chouiref

13 October 2026•Update: 13 October 2026

Israel accused the Netherlands of becoming an “antisemitism hotspot” Monday after authorities in the Dutch city of Alkmaar upheld a ban on Israeli football fans attending a Europa League match despite diplomatic pressure from Tel Aviv.

Supporters of the Israeli club Hapoel Be’er Sheva have been barred from attending the Oct. 15 match against AZ Alkmaar after local authorities classified the fixture as “very high risk” over concerns about protests and possible clashes.

In a statement on the US social media platform X, the Israeli Foreign Ministry claimed the decision “rewards those who threaten and incite violence” and “runs counter to the very spirit of sport.”

The ministry accused Dutch authorities of banning “the victims, not the attackers,” referring to clashes involving Israeli football fans in Amsterdam in November 2024.

It also claimed that antisemitic attacks in the Netherlands were being fueled by anti-Israel rhetoric from Dutch politicians and public figures.

The ministry described the ban, along with a boycott of the Eurovision Song Contest due to the inclusion of Israel amid the war in Gaza, as “yet another stain” on the Netherlands, accusing the country of increasingly becoming one of the world’s leading “hotspots for antisemitism.”

There was no immediate response from Dutch authorities to the Israeli accusations.

Earlier Monday, The Times of Israel reported that Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar had raised the issue with his Dutch counterpart, Tom Berendsen, as Israel sought to overturn the ban.

Israeli officials also contacted the Dutch Foreign Ministry and Alkmaar municipality, pressing for Israeli supporters to be allowed into the stadium and for their safety to be guaranteed, according to the report.

The dispute comes nearly two years after unrest surrounding a match between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Ajax in Amsterdam in November 2024.

The clashes were preceded by racist and anti-Palestinian chants from Israeli supporters as well as incidents of vandalism and the tearing down of a Palestinian flag.

In August, the Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS announced it would boycott the 2027 Eurovision Song Contest over Israel’s participation, marking the second consecutive year of its boycott.