Approximately 100,000 people took to the streets of The Hague on Sunday, May 18, to protest Israel’s genocide in Gaza and the Dutch government’s failure to respond to gross abuse of international law. Dozens of organizations supported the demonstration, which they later described as the largest of its kind in the Netherlands in the past two decades.
“We are calling on the Dutch government to stop all political, economic, and military support to Israel as long as it continues to block humanitarian aid and commit genocide, war crimes, and systematic human rights violations in Gaza and the occupied Palestinian territories,” Marjon Rozema from Amnesty International stated on the day.
During the march through the city center, participants wore red to symbolize the red line Israel has long crossed in Palestine – and the one the Dutch government still refuses to draw. “The Netherlands, as the host country of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the International Court of Justice (ICJ), is painfully unwilling to act on Israel’s violations of international law and continues to opt for pointless dialogue,” wrote the Dutch chapter of Oxfam ahead of the protest.
“The time for words is long gone, it is time for action. Yet the Netherlands continues to actively support Israel through trade privileges, defense treaties, and the supply of weapons that kill civilians in Gaza every day.”
Reflecting growing grassroots demands across Europe, the protesters called for the suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement, an immediate freeze on all military cooperation with Israel, and the imposition of sanctions. They also demanded an end to Israel’s blockade on humanitarian relief in Gaza and urged the Dutch government to support ICC arrest warrants against Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
While some cabinet members from right-wing and conservative parties recently indicated they may be open to reviewing the EU-Israel agreement in light of ongoing attacks on human rights in Gaza, far-right figures like Geert Wilders attacked the demonstration on social media. Wilders dismissed the protest as a gathering of “confused people” and reiterated his support for Israel.
Over the weekend, large Palestine solidarity demonstrations also took place across Europe, marking Nakba Day and denouncing their own governments’ complicity in the genocide. In London, more than half a million people called for an end to all military cooperation with Israel and condemned Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s policies, including continuing shipments of F-35 components. Thousands joined marches in Ireland – where Palestinian journalist Abubaker Abed addressed the crowd – as well as in Italy, Germany, Greece, and other countries. As public outrage over Israel’s actions and European government support grows, the protests are expected to intensify.
