Late Friday evening an explosion occurred at the gate of the Israel Center on Henri Nouwenstraat in Nijkerk, Gelderland. At 11:30 p.m., the police were called to the Christians for Israel compound. No one was injured in the incident. The area has been cordoned off and the police are investigating, reports ANP news agency. According to a police spokesperson, the material damage is not too bad. No suspects have been arrested yet.
The center of the organization Christians for Israel describes the building on its website as ‘a meeting place for Christians with a heart for Israel’. The building was defaced several times in the past by pro-Palestine activists. To guarantee the safety of employees, the organization therefore wanted a fence two meters high place on site.
It is the third time in less than a month that explosions have occurred at a Jewish institution. In mid-March there was an incident at the outside wall of a Jewish school in Amsterdam. It concerned Cheider in Buitenveldert, the only Orthodox Jewish school in the Netherlands. The explosion is seen by the Public Prosecution Service, the police and the mayor as a targeted attack.
Jewish schools and institutions in Amsterdam are permanently secured. There have been high steel fences around Cheider since 2016 due to threats. A few days earlier, an explosion occurred at a synagogue in Rotterdam. Four suspects were arrested. There were no injuries in either incident.
Israeli Ministry
Prime Minister Rob Jetten strongly condemned the explosion in Amsterdam, calling it “terrible”. On X he wrote that he understands the anger and fear and wants to talk to the Jewish community in the short term. According to him, they should always be able to feel safe in the Netherlands.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry also responded, speaking of a “wave of anti-Semitism” in the Netherlands, citing both the incident in Amsterdam and Rotterdam. According to the ministry, the Dutch government must do more to combat anti-Semitism.
