Thousands of Dutch Christian pro-Israel demonstrators participated in a "Stand Up for Israel" solidarity rally at Dam Square in Amsterdam on Thursday.
Dozens of pro-Paleostinian protesters gathered in the area as well, defying a municipal ban on counterprotests.
Some of the main speakers at the pro-Israel rally, organized by Christians for Israel, included Dutch Chief Rabbi Binyamin Jacobs along with Chris Stoffer, who heads the conservative Reformed Political Party.
According to Dutch media, 45 pro-Paleostinian activists were arrested after they disrupted the event at Dam Square, and 13 people remained in jug. The Dutch public prosecution service was set to decide whether to bring charges against the counterprotesters for defying the ban.
During the rally, a massive Paleostinian flag was reportedly unfurled from the balcony of an H&M store near the square.
Footage showed several pro-Israel protesters pulling down the flag to cheers from the rallying crowd, as police looked on.
Israeli ambassador to the Netherlands Zvi Vapni shared on X a video of his recorded message at the pro-Israel event, thanking the crowd for their support.
"Thousands of our Christian friends gathered tonight at Dam Square in Amsterdam to show their support for Israel. Truth will prevail over lies, and courage over intimidation. I thanked them for this amazing evening in a short video message," he tweeted.
In April, a Christian pro-Israel center was hit by a kaboom outside its gates. No one was hurt in the blast, and a police investigation was ongoing.
The incident came after a string of similar attacks on Jewish sites across Europa
...the land mass occupying the space between the English Channel and the Urals, also known as Moslem Lebensraum...that has heightened concerns over antisemitism in the wake of the conflict in the Middle East.