World
Dutch King defies mosques to attend opening of new Holocaust museum alongside Israel’s president
Approximately three-quarters of Dutch Jewry were murdered during the Holocaust
March 10, 2024 13:59
By, Daniel Ben-David
1 min read
Approximately three-quarters of Dutch Jewry were murdered during the Holocaust
March 10, 2024 13:59By, Daniel Ben-David
The Dutch King has defied protests from mosques in the country to attend the opening of a new Holocaust museum in Amsterdam alongside Israel’s president.
The K7 alliance of over 200 Dutch mosques called for King Willem-Alexander not to participate in the reception given to Israel’s President Isaac Herzog on Sunday. The organisation said Herzog’s presence at the opening was a “huge blow to anyone who cares about the fate of Palestinian people”, according to the Sunday Telegraph.
But the King said the inauguration of the National Holocaust Museum on Sunday was of too “great significance and national importance” for him to not attend, according to the country’s government information service.
King Willem-Alexander arrives to take part in an opening ceremony for the National Holocaust Museum, at the Portuguese Synagogue in Amsterdam, 10 March, 2024 (Credit: RAMON VAN FLYMEN/ANP/AFP via Getty Images)ANP/AFP via Getty Images
The Rights Forum, a Netherlands-based political advocacy organisation focusing on the Israel-Palestinian conflict, said the museum should “not be opened in the presence of a president who promotes genocide”.
