The Israeli Embassy in the Netherlands will be filing a formal complaint with Dutch authorities after two Israeli citizens, including a former Hamas hostage, were allegedly mistreated by a security officer at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport.
The two women had been trying to board an El Al flight back to Tel Aviv on Friday when the officer, reportedly of Pakistani origin, approached them in an aggressive way, Israeli news website Ynet reported.
The official placed them in front of dozens of waiting passengers, deliberately humiliated them by loudly accusing them of fraud and ordered their arrest, the website reported.
“It was evident that he saw the Israeli passport and got ticked off,” said the Dutch-Israeli woman accompanying the released hostage, adding that “he had sadism in his eyes”.
Sources at the airport said the Muslim officer had previously been accused of harassing Israelis passing through Schiphol, according to Ynet.
A spokesman for Israeli Ambassador Modi Ephraim told the Dutch De Telegraaf daily on Monday that the two women were only allowed to board their flight after the embassy intervened.
“They had all the necessary documents, yet he detained them and humiliated them in front of many people,” he said. “This is especially painful considering all the trauma the abductee has already suffered.”
The former hostage, who asked not to be identified, and her travel companion were visiting the Netherlands on a speaking tour organised by the Israeli Defence Ministry, according to Ynet.
Geert Wilders, who has been trying to form a coalition government since his pro-Israel Freedom Party won a landslide victory in last year’s general election, called on outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte to urge the airport to fire the security guard.
Last month, two survivors of October 7 were detained at Manchester Airport, leading the UK government to launch an investigation.
Brothers Daniel and Neria Sharabi, survivors of the Supernova music festival massacre, suffer from PTSD and travelled to the UK to speak about their harrowing experiences and raise awareness about a non-profit they established to assist other survivors.
According to a complaint filed by a local Jewish organisation, the two brothers were detained at the airport for hours after showing their passports and telling border guards why they were visiting the country.
British Home Secretary James Cleverly tweeted late on March 25 that “we are investigating this. We do not tolerate antisemitism or any form of discrimination. This incident will be handled in line with our disciplinary procedures.”
