Holland Punishes Holocaust Survivor for Living in Judea and Samaria

The Dutch government has cut the pension of a Holocaust survivor because she chose to live in Judea and Samaria. 

Holland seems to have stepped up its action against the Jewish communities of Judea and Samaria. Besides calling to label products coming from this region, thereby promoting a boycott, in a very controversial move the Dutch government decided to cut the pension of a Holocaust survivor whom they perceive as living in the territories, Israel’s Channel 2 reported on Thursday.

The story evolves around a 90-year-old Dutch Holocaust survivor who recently immigrated to Israel and settled in Modi’in, a city with over 85,000 residents in the center of the country, which the Dutch have mistakenly deemed as being located in the “West Jordan Bank.”

She reportedly left Holland because of the rising anti-Semitism there.

The woman, identified only as D., was receiving a 1,100-euro ($1,232) pension each month, as well as additional assistance for her status as a Holocaust survivor.

A few months after moving to Israel, she received a letter from the Dutch government, saying: “Because you live in the West Jordan Bank and we have no agreement with this periphery,” meaning that Holland does not recognize Judea and Samaria as Israel, “we are obligated to deduct a large sum from your old-age pension.”

“My mother was in such shock that she began to cry,” he said. “She hasn’t slept since; she has lost her confidence.”

Her family has decided to fight the decision. “This is a law accepted by the Dutch government,” her son continued. “It has affected my mother catastrophically. I was personally shocked, my entire family was shocked. This is unbelievable.”

“They are punishing a 90-year-old woman because she has immigrated to Israel and because it’s the ‘occupied territories’ and she lives in the State of Israel…. and this is her livelihood. I mean, this is her pension. This is unacceptable,” he concluded.

By: Max Gelber, United with Israel