Israel urges football fans to skip events in Britain and Europe

It came as Betar, the Right-wing Jewish movement, said it would rally in Paris against anti-Semitism ahead of the match on Thursday.

Yigal Brand, the chief executive of World Betar, said the movement, which is present worldwide and has links to the Israeli Right, was “outraged at what has happened in Amsterdam”.

Tensions over Israel’s conduct in the Gaza war are also running high in France, the home to Europe’s largest Jewish and Muslim communities.

According to Israel’s Jewish Agency, authorities have also reported a surge in anti-Semitism in the wake of the war with at least 1,600 Jews moving to Israel during 2024.

Tensions beyond football

Dutch police said tensions were already built ahead of the match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv at the Johann Cruyff Arena on Thursday.

Peter Holla, the Amsterdam police chief, said Maccabi fans burned a Palestinian flag in the central Dam Square and vandalised a taxi.

Video footage also showed Maccabi supporters chanting anti-Arab slogans like “Ole, ole, let the IDF win, and F— the Arabs,” as they head towards the football stadium.