Members of the PKN organization, the Protestant Church in the Netherlands, outed their antisemitic leanings in a report published after a November visit to "Palestine and Israel" in which they compared current Israeli policy to Nazism and even dared to attack a photo of Anne Frank, the Jewish-dutch Holocaust victim who’s diary became a staple in Holocaust education.
"At Yad Vashem, we saw the evil and suffering that was in the Holocaust, which is unparalleled. Nevertheless, the pictures of the separations and the sign 'No entry for Jews' that we saw in the museum made us associate what we have seen in the last few days. The things we heard from Palestinian Christians echo in our ears. The visit to Yad Vashem' made us more aware of the saying 'never again'." It is crucial to note that in Israel, there are no signs that forbid entry to Arabs or Muslims, however, there are signs in Palestine forbidding entry to Jews. This is a fact the group neglected to mention.
>>This is simply an antisemitic lie and a insult to the victims of the Holocaust! An outrageous comparison between the greatest genocide in human history and a country that struggles with brutal terrorism>>
— יוסף חדאד - Yoseph Haddad (@YosephHaddad) March 2, 2023
In the special report, the members of the delegation compared the Holocaust and Israel's treatment of the Palestinians. By all factual accounts, there is no comparison between the mass, industrial genocide of European Jewry to the way Palestinians are treated in the state of Israel; even most of those who deem Israel’s treatment as a form of apartheid, ultimately agree there is no comparison to Nazism.
>>which is the only country in the Middle East where the Christian community is protected, it is simply hypocrisy! It's lucky that I'm arriving in the Netherlands in exactly two weeks - because the truth about Israel is needed there urgently!
— יוסף חדאד - Yoseph Haddad (@YosephHaddad) March 2, 2023
At the same time as the report is becoming viral for its clear antisemitism, according to the Chief Rabbi of the Netherlands, Benjamin Jacobs, the PKN organization announced that in a few weeks, it will hold a special discussion in which it will re-examine its attitude towards the State of Israel and the Jewish people, in light of what they saw in the “occupied territories.”
The publication of the report caused an uproar in the Jewish community in the Netherlands, and following it the umbrella organization of the Jewish communities published a statement stating just how shocked it was by the unacceptable comparison made by the Protestant organization.
Leden van de Protestantse Kerk in Nederland (PKN) vergelijkt na hun bezoek aan de Westelijke Jordaanoever afgelopen november de wijze waarop Israël Palestijnen met de behandeling van de Joden door de Nazi's. Onaanvaardbaar zegt Rabbijn Jacobs https://t.co/zGk7UKaP4H
— Joop Soesan 🇮🇱🇳🇱 (@JoopSoesan) March 2, 2023
Rabbi Jacobs attacked the report: "Millions of Christians in the Netherlands follow this organization. To compare the systematic extermination of Jews with the State of Israel is unacceptable. It may encourage people in the Netherlands to harm Jews. This is simply an antisemitic report." Israel's ambassador to the Netherlands, Modi Ephraim, noted that the report has very serious repercussions and added that "we are witnessing an alarming trend of an increase in antisemitism." In general, despite growing antisemitism, diplomatic relations between The Netherlands and Israel have remained stable and no change is expected in the near future.
