Dissatisfaction with Gaza activists about composition of ministerial working group against anti-Semitism

The first meeting has only just been, but the new fight against anti -Semitism of the Ministry of Justice is already going fire. Activists and critics of Israel object to the « one -sided » composition of the group, and the role of some members.

They fear the equalization of protests against the war in Gaza with anti -Semitism and a chilling effect On demonstrations at universities, as happened in America. They also object to what they see as pro-Israeli bias of organizations represented in the Task Force.

One of the members, Mirjam van Praag, professor of entrepreneurship at the VU University Amsterdam, announced shortly after her joining the Task Force that they will also be in the coming year Guest professor at the University of Tel Avivwhere she studied in the nineties. In NRC Van Praag rather the “Unsafe situation« For Jewish students at Dutch universities.

Her ancillary function aroused surprise on social media. The University of Tel Aviv (Tau) is one of the institutions that are now controversial at Dutch universities. Committees of the universities of Tilburg and Nijmegen have advised freezing the collaboration with Tel Aviv because the institution has close ties with the Israeli defense. The boards of the universities will soon have to make a decision about this.

Get on

Van Praag’s ancillary function « seems to me a good time to get out of the task force, » says communication consultant Wim Datema on LinkedIn. He is from the Utrecht citizens’ initiative New Neighbours, which was committed to human rights and was involved in SIT-ins against the Gaza War.

Justice stated in a response that the members of the Task Force ‘Free is free to hold other additional functions in addition to their role in the Task Force’. Van Praag himself refers to the chairman, who refers to the minister’s answer.

According to the Ministry, her secondary position does not stand in the way of the work for the Task Force: that ‘advises or does not decide on the cooperation of Dutch universities with Israeli institutions. There is also no question of assessing universities within the scope of the Task Force, ”said the Department. Proposals must be targeted « on the sector as a whole and not per individual institution. »

Nevertheless, teachers who criticize the war in Gaza are worried. « The CJO and the CIDI have commented very negatively about universities that are critical of Israel, » says legal sociologist Jeff Handmaker, senior lecturer at Eramus University and regularly in the media in actions about Gaza. Handmaker fears that criticism of Israel is labeled by the Task Force as anti -Semitism, he wrote This week in an opinion piece in Fidelity. « Just like in other countries, a fight against anti -Semitism can only mean a threat to essential democratic freedoms, » said handmaker and philosopher Anya Topolski of Radboud University Nijmegen.

Break

The Task Force, set at the beginning of this year By Minister Van Weel (Justice and Security, VVD), there is a response to a series of demonstrations in university cities and SIT-ins at NS stations since the start of the war in October 2023. Students and teachers at universities demand that their institutions break the collaboration with Israeli partners.

Under the chairmanship of Jaap Smit, former King’s Commissioner in South Holland, the Task Force must be within a year Make « targeted proposals » For the safety of Jewish students, about « the exclusion of anti-Semitic speakers » in higher education and about protests « on public transport stations ».

New Neighbours, partly involved in SIT-ins in Utrecht, objected to the participation of NS President director Wouter Koolmees in the Task Force. That « stigmatizes lawful protest, » they believe, because it establishes a relationship between SIT-ins and anti-Semitism. According to the group, anti-Semitism in the SIT-ins is ‘an absolute no-go’.

Chairman Chanan Hertzberger of the Central Jewish Consultation (CJO), who was also appointed in the Task Force, protested after a sit-in at the end of 2023 with Mayor Sharon Dijksma (PvdA) of Utrecht against the « Anti-Semitic Disnamination » at the Utrecht Central Station.

A spokesperson for the Dutch Railways says that the letter from New Neighbours to Koolmees « in good order was received » and that « a neat letter was sent back, in which a number of allegations were rejected. » The organization wants to talk to the group, according to the spokesperson.

Mayor Dijksma has the city council let you know at the beginning of April « No restrictions » to impose on sit-ins at Utrecht Central. Her experience so far is that it is « peaceful and the contact with the organization is good ».

Other members of the Task Force are Emeritus-professor of Criminal Law Tineke Cleiren, consultant and former CIDI director René Glaser, lecturer Rianne Letschert of Maastricht University, mayor Ton Heerts van Apeldoorn and deputy police chief of National Police Wilbert Paulissen. A member is also an economist Eddo Verdoner, now National Coordinator of Anti-Semitism (NCAB) and also former director of CIDI and CJO.

The ministry says that people with ‘broad administrative and political experience and own expertise’ was chosen. An appeal will also be made to ‘scientific expertise in the field of anti -Semitism’. Proposals from the Task Force must fit within ‘existing laws and regulations’.

Under pressure from the Trump Task Forces government, in the US, numerous universities have established to investigate anti-Jewish incidents on campus by institution. Trump has used findings of task forces to universities to force to adjust their policy and education. The visa of hundreds of international students have been withdrawn, some have been plotted.

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