Netherlands Officially Lists Israel as a National Security Threat for the First Time

The National Coordinator for Counterterrorism and Security in the Netherlands (NCTV), the official government body responsible for national security, has included Israel in the list of countries posing a threat to Dutch security for the first time in its new report titled Assessment of Threats from State Actors.

Israel has been placed in the same list as Iran, Russia, and Turkey, known for their attempts to influence Dutch society through secret networks and diplomatic channels according to the report.


The report refers to a specific incident in November 2024 when disturbances broke out in Amsterdam during a visit by fans of the Israeli football club Maccabi Tel Aviv. Following this, an Israeli ministry distributed a document through unofficial channels to Dutch politicians and journalists containing baseless accusations against Dutch citizens, including Thomas van Gul from the peace organization 'Pax,' who was falsely linked to Hamas without any evidence.

This document appeared in the Dutch parliament where Caroline van der Plas (of the BBB party) used it as 'evidence' of alleged connections between Dutch non-governmental organizations and terrorist groups. Subsequently, the parliament adopted two proposals in line with Israeli propaganda: one calling for an investigation into the mentioned organizations, and the other demanding the inclusion of groups 'seeking to destroy the state of Israel' on the terrorism list. It was later revealed that the document was entirely fabricated, but that did not prevent the parliament from using its content as a reference for policy-making.

Civil society organizations urged the 'figurehead Prime Minister' Dick Schoof to take action against these smear campaigns, but no concrete steps were taken. Thus, Israel seems to have once again succeeded in influencing Dutch democracy without consequences.

The NCTV report also points to escalating threats from Israel (and the United States) against the International Criminal Court. This threat is not theoretical: the chief investigator Andrew Cayley, who was working on war crimes cases against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Ya'akov Galant, recently had to suspend his work after receiving threats and facing intense diplomatic pressure.

However, the report cautiously refers to this threat without directly linking it to Israel, despite its known espionage and intimidation activities against court officials for years - even within Dutch territory. This blatant Israeli disregard for international law goes unpunished in many Western countries, even when it occurs in the legal capital of the world.

Since The Hague hosts the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice, the NCTV pointed out that the Netherlands has a 'special responsibility' to protect the independence of these institutions. But as long as Israel continues to threaten judges and investigators without consequences, that responsibility remains symbolic.