Israelis Report Abusive Treatment at Dutch Airport Following Import Ban

Israeli travelers arriving at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport from Tel Aviv have reported experiencing discriminatory and abusive behavior from airport staff following a new Dutch regulation that prohibits the import and sale of goods originating from the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights. The regulation, which took effect on September 22, classifies such imports as a criminal offense punishable by fines or imprisonment.

According to a report by the Dutch outlet "Nieuwsrechts," an Israeli El Al flight landing in Amsterdam was met with particularly harsh scrutiny. One customs official allegedly remarked, "You are from Tel Aviv? Yes? Let everyone from Israel come here!" All passengers from the flight were subjected to baggage screening, during which a staff member reportedly became agitated with the crowding and shouted at the passengers in English, "Get out, get out, stand in line. Everyone must be checked!"

Further accounts describe a customs officer yelling at passengers, "You are from Israel. You don't speak Dutch," before shouting in English, "Shut your fucking mouths. Shut your mouths and wait!!" One mother with crying children stated, "We are just tourists. We haven't done anything wrong. We came here for Sukkot, for the Jewish holidays."

The incidents have caused alarm among Jews in the Netherlands and Israelis of Dutch descent. An 82-year-old man scheduled to fly to Amsterdam next week expressed his fear of not passing customs safely, stating, "My blood is boiling, because the meaning is that the burden of proof is on the passenger. I was born during the war. I was in hiding. Even then, Jews were separated. Now it's happening again! We are being treated differently again."