Dutch Language Teacher Denies Admission to Israeli Student Over Gaza Stance
Translated & summarized from Maariv by baba
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Israeli denied Dutch course for refusing to call Gaza events genocide.
- Teacher cited presence of Palestinian students for the requirement.
- Applicant offered nuanced response about war crimes investigation.
- Dutch Jewish organization CIDI condemned the refusal as discrimination.
- CIDI will approach Dutch Human Rights Council over the incident.
An Israeli man, identified only as Y, was denied admission to an online Dutch language course in the Netherlands after refusing to agree that a genocide is occurring in Gaza. The incident, which has sparked outrage among the Dutch Jewish community, was publicized by CIDI, the Dutch Jewish umbrella organization. Y sought to enroll in a course that included speaking practice and podcasts. During the admission interview, which was recorded and shared online, the teacher stated that due to the presence of Palestinian students, all participants must acknowledge that a genocide is taking place in Gaza. The teacher explained this was a prerequisite to ensure alignment on the issue. Y attempted to respond thoughtfully, explaining the situation's complexity and mentioning that his uncle was killed in the October 7th Hamas attack. He stated he did not agree with the term 'genocide' but suggested that if war crimes were committed, they should be investigated and perpetrators prosecuted. He also expressed reluctance to engage in discussions treating genocide as a foregone conclusion.
The teacher rejected Y's nuanced response, calling the denial of genocide one of the worst things a person can do and stating he did not want to collaborate with students holding such views. He then ended the call. CIDI condemned the teacher's actions as severe discrimination and a painful example of the anti-Israel sentiment faced by Jews in the Netherlands. The organization announced it would approach the Dutch Human Rights Council to investigate the matter and address the trend of excluding Israelis from civil and educational spaces in the Netherlands.
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