POMPEO: Violent Attacks on Jews in Amsterdam Is Evidence the Evil of Oct. 7 Is Spreading Globally

I have often said that rising antisemitism is a serious indicator that cultures and civilizations are headed down the wrong path—this past week was a reminder of that.  Following historic elections here at home, Americans were once again confronted by growing challenges on the world stage as the vile specter of antisemitism reared its ugly head once more, this time in the Netherlands, when groups of Israeli soccer fans were systematically targeted and attacked for their allegiance to the Jewish state and their Jewish identity.  These attacks were followed up by large scale, illegal pro-Palestine protests, with protestors actively seeking confrontation with police forces.  These events reveal a much deeper problem with Europe and Western civilization in general, and confronting it matters not only to those of us who believe that Israel has a fundamental right to exist as the Jewish nation state, but to the entire Western world and our way of life.

These attacks underline a troubling trend that has been intensifying since the October 7th attacks on Israel.  The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (EUFRA recorded an increase of up to 400% in antisemitic activity since the outbreak of the war.  Through the first half of this year, antisemitic incidents in the United Kingdom have more than doubled compared to the same time period last year, and in the United States, they have more than tripled since the October 7th attacks. Israel’s own Diaspora Ministry released a report just days ago confirming the sharp antisemitic turn in Europe, and last month, the United Nations General Assembly voted yet again to overwhelmingly sanction the nation of Israel – pushing a tired but dangerous myth that Israel is an occupying force sitting on stolen land.

It gets worse. The International Criminal Court (ICC), located at the Hague (just blocks away from where these recent attacks occurred) is currently in the process of issuing arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.  This effort, led by special ICC prosecutor Karim Khan and his team, would charge Netanyahu as a war criminal because he and his nation have dared to do what is necessary to destroy the terrorists who raped, killed, and pillaged their way through southern Israel just over a year ago.  Whether they aim to or not, these efforts only legitimize and encourage the kinds of attacks we saw over the weekend, and are also antisemitic. 

I hope that Europe will follow America’s lead in confronting antisemitism.  The election of Donald Trump, as well as delivering control of the House and Senate to Republicans, was, in part, a repudiation of rising antisemitism in our own country and a rejection of the political party that had shamelessly courted the votes of anti-Israel, antisemitic voters for years. Americans had watched a year’s worth of deplorable protests on college campuses, with students harassing Jewish students and supporting the very terrorists who perpetrated the worst attacks on the Jewish people since the Holocaust.  They watched federal government workers stage walkouts in protest of the Biden Administration’s support for Israel following the Oct. 7th massacre.  Americans have had enough.

For Europe, confronting this problem is necessary but difficult. Years of backwards immigration and refugee policies, anti-Israel propaganda, and an unwillingness to enforce the law led to this tragedy.  To ensure it never happens again, nations like the Netherlands must undoubtedly reform their immigration process and have the courage to enforce their own laws. 

The new Trump Administration should make addressing rising antisemitism in Europe and international organizations like the ICC and the U.N. a top priority.  It is a hatred not only of the Jewish people, but of the Judeo-Christian truths that form the foundation of our civilization.  For the next four years, we should have warriors leading the fight against antisemitism in every international forum, in Brussels, in Europe’s capitals, and here at home as well.  We must extinguish antisemitism everywhere.  The Biden Administration should make that eminently clear in its final days and send assistance where necessary to stop it.  I pray this happens – not only because it serves our interests by supporting our ally Israel and the Jewish people, but because antisemitism is a cancer capable of destroying free and open societies.