Netanyahu sends two planes to rescue Israeli fans as violence erupts in Amsterdam

What was expected to be just another match in Amsterdam turned into a disgrace.

Prior to, and following Thursday night’s game between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv, dozens of fans from both teams clashed in the city centre and around the Johan Cruyff Arena, resulting in 57 being arrested, 10 injured, and two still missing, according to Dutch and Israeli authorities.

Israel fans being “rescued” by Netanyahu

The scale of the conflict was so severe that Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, announced that two planes had been sent to the Netherlands to bring back supporters of the Israeli team as soon as possible. Israel’s National Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, stated on social media that Israeli officials are working with Dutch authorities to investigate the attacks, which he claimed were motivated by political and religious reasons.

“Fans who went to watch a football match encountered antisemitism and were attacked with unimaginable cruelty simply because of their Jewish identity.”

Amsterdam police responded quickly, announcing that they had arrested 57 people in connection with these incidents, which resulted in violent scenes far removed from the spirit of football, with brutal beatings between both groups.

The match ended with a 5-0 victory for the Dutch team, but after the scenes witnessed on the streets of Amsterdam, the game and its outcome were the least of anyone’s concerns.