President Rivlin and Dutch FM Halbe Zijlstram (Mark Neiman/GPO) (Mark Neiman/GPO)
Pres. Rivlin & Dutch FM Halbe Zijlstram

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Holland is “opposed to BDS and strongly opposed to anti-Semitism, we will fight them,” Dutch Foreign Minister Zijlstra stated in Israel.

By: United with Israel Staff

Foreign Minister of the Netherlands Halbe Zijlstra met Wednesday in Jerusalem with Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, declaring that Holland is “opposed to BDS and strongly opposed to anti-Semitism, we will fight them.”

Rivkin stated that Israel appreciates “very much” the attitude of the Dutch government toward anti-Semitism. Rivlin added, “I want to also emphasize that BDS in some places is part of the wave of anti-Semitism, and we have to be very worried about those waves that come from time to time.”

The anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement promotes financial, academic and cultural boycotts of Israel, ostensibly as a nonviolent protest against the so-called “Israeli occupation.” Critics say its activities are a modern form of anti-Semitism and that its true objective is to destroy the State of Israel.

Rivlin also stated that Israel appreciates “very much our strong cooperation between our two states…I am sure we have a lot of shared interests, to share knowhow, and also our concerns and thoughts about things that are happening all over the world.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Zijlstra during a meeting later in the day that Palestinian Authority (PA) head Mahmoud Abbas must condemn Tuesday night’s “reprehensible murder” in which Palestinian terrorists shot and killed Rabbi Raziel Sevach, a father of six, and “stop financing murderers and their families.”

The PA has a payment system for Palestinian terrorists and their families.

According to Palestinian law, the more heinous the act of terror committed, the greater the reward. Specifically, terrorists sentenced to three to five years in prison receive from the Palestinian government $580 per month, which equals the average Palestinian income. The PA pays terrorists sentenced to 20 years or more in prison over $2,800 per month.

In 2017 alone, the PA compensated terrorists and their next of kin to the tune of more than $347 million.

Netanyahu said that “herein lies the true root of the conflict – the refusal to recognize the State of Israel within any borders whatsoever along with the encouragement of the murder of Israelis.”