National Level
22 November 2018, Parliament motion urging the government to support the application of the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism*
The Dutch House of Representatives adopted a motion calling the Dutch Government to support the implementation of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) Working Definition of Antisemitism. The motion was supported by centre, centre-right and nationalist parties including the VVD (People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy), PVV (Party for Freedom), CDA (Christian Democratic Appeal), CU (Christian Union), 50PLUS and SGP (Reformed Political Party).
*The text of the motion does not explicitly refer to the additional examples. Yet, since it does not explicitly exclude them, we consider that the Dutch Parliament has called the Government to adopt the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism, including the additional examples.
15 June 2016, Parliament motion to end the funding of organisations pursuing a boycott of Israel.
The House of Representatives has adopted a motion calling for the halt of Dutch funding to organisations promoting the boycott of Israel.
The Dutch Government has recently clarified, in response to parliamentary questions submitted in July 2020, that while it does not fund activities directly promoting Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions against Israel, the fact that organisations support the BDS movement is not a rejection criteria for funding. The government confirmed that “statements or meetings of the [BDS] movement are protected by the freedom of expression and the freedom of assembly, as contained in, among other things, the Dutch Constitution and the European Convention on Human Rights and confirmed by the European Court of Human Rights in its judgment on 11 June last.”
Local Level
27 January 2020, “The Hague Jewish Heritage and Antisemitism Proposal”(still pending)
The FvD (Forum for Democracy), CU, CDA and VVD submitted a joint proposal for a revaluation of Jewish heritage and a new approach to Antisemitism in The Hague. The proposal explicitly affirms that when talking about Antisemitism it uses the definition of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance.
Civil Society and Parties
6 March 2018, Political Parties signing “Jewish Accord Amsterdam”
In March 2018, political parties elected within the Amsterdam City Council, signed a ‘Jewish Accord’. The accord calls on parties to assess whether ‘an incident or statement directed against Jewish residents or objects’ is anti-Semitic in nature, giving rise to concerns of silencing legitimate criticism of Israeli state policies.
The accord was signed by all the political parties elected within the Amsterdam Council, with the exception of BIJ1and DENK.
- Opposition:
> BIJ1 wrote a letter to Rabbi Katz explaining the reasons why they did not sign the agreement.
> Criticism of the Jewish Accord was also voiced by, among others, Een Ander Joods Geluid (EAJG), the Services and Research Center Palestine (DocP) and journalist and Middle East expert Maarten Jan Hijmans on his blog AbuPessoptimist.