In brief
Around 200,000 people gathered in Amsterdam on Sunday in a protest called the Red Line, urging the Dutch government to increase political, economic and diplomatic pressure on Israel. The largely peaceful march resulted in four arrests amid clashes with police. Dutch Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen and Prime Minister Rob Jetten responded, reaffirming commitments to a two‑state solution while explaining their positions on the protest.
On Sunday, Nov. 8, a pro‑Palestinian protest in Amsterdam drew about 200,000 participants, Xinhua reported, as demonstrators called on the Dutch government to step up action over the Gaza conflict.
Organizers said the Red Line protest, largely peaceful but punctuated by clashes, saw demonstrators in red attire holding Palestinian flags and banners, demanding political, economic and diplomatic pressure on Israel. Four arrests were recorded and local media noted sporadic police clashes along the march route.
After the rally, Dutch Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen posted on social media that public concern over the situation in the Palestinian territories and Israel was understandable. He added that the cabinet remains committed “to promoting stability in the Middle East, improving the humanitarian situation in Gaza, and achieving a viable, democratic and independent Palestinian state alongside a secure Israel.”
"The cabinet remains committed ‘to promoting stability in the Middle East, improving the humanitarian situation in Gaza, and achieving a viable, democratic and independent Palestinian state alongside a secure Israel.’"
Prime Minister Rob Jetten, who had participated in a previous Red Line protest before taking office, declined to attend the Sunday rally. "My current role as prime minister would make my participation inappropriate," he said at a press conference on Friday, adding that the government had taken measures targeting illegal settlements in the West Bank and was working with European partners to increase diplomatic pressure.
In late September, the Dutch government announced a ban on products from Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories. In response, Israel revoked the diplomatic privileges and immunities of Dutch diplomats based in Ramallah.
