Former Dutch Politicians Job Cohen and Jozias van Aartsen to Join Amsterdam Gaza Protest

Former Dutch Politicians Job Cohen and Jozias van Aartsen to Join Amsterdam Gaza Protest

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Former Dutch politicians Job Cohen and Jozias van Aartsen have announced they will join the fourth Red Line protest in Amsterdam to demand action from the Dutch cabinet against Israel. While mainstream coalition parties resist unilateral sanctions, the two political veterans — representing the PvdA and the VVD respectively — broke ranks to declare that the situation in Gaza must be named for what it is.

Demonstrators at the march demand action from the Dutch cabinet om de illegale bezetting van Palestina definitief te beëindigen [Source 1]. While this marks the fourth time the protest has been held, both Cohen and Van Aartsen are participating for the first time. Speaking in an interview, the 79-year-old Cohen stated, Je ontkomt er niet aan het zo te noemen [Source 1].

Political Divisions and Criticisms of Leadership

Van Aartsen sharply criticized the current VVD party line, noting that the party rarely criticizes Israel. The former foreign minister argued that a party calling itself liberal should defend core values like humanity and international law instead of standing by idly. Jetten marched in the protest last year as a member of parliament, speaking on social media of goosebumps and stating that people should do everything in their power to stop Israel from starving and killing innocent Palestinians.

By contrast, the government maintains that the Netherlands already pushes boundaries and that pressure on Israel is more effective when coordinated through a broad European front. Yesterday, Prime Minister Jetten stated that the Netherlands will not take extra measures against Israel, asserting that the country is already sticking out its neck and that pressure works better from a broad European front. Van Aartsen advocates for independent national measures with clear consequences, a stark departure from official policy.

Elena Burgos Martinez
Photo: NRC

Personal Conflict and the Call for Action

Cohen addressed his personal struggle with the conflict since the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023, having opposed a party proposal last year to institute a complete arms embargo against Israel. As a Jewish man, he values the existence of Israel, but watched the Israeli government slowly shift toward genocide — a term he connects to the Holocaust. De Holocaust is het verschrikkelijkste dat we de afgelopen eeuw hebben meegemaakt, Cohen said, adding that the exclusion of people based on who they are gebeurt nu bij de Arabieren [Source 1].

Ahead of the demonstration, Cohen and Van Aartsen joined 279 former officials, diplomats, and civil servants in sending a letter to leadership demanding firm measures against Israel. The cabinet has not yet responded.

Demonstrations Shift Public Identity for Jewish Participants

For other participants, the demonstrations have shifted how they experience their identity in public. Abel Levie, a policy advisor for a province, feels more comfortable as a Jew since last year’s demonstration. Yael Wassen, a coordinator at a women’s rights organization, noted that Elena Burgos Martinez researcher at Dichterbij now has a political home, stating that since the October 2025 protest she met many other Jewish people she did not know previously, realizing she was not alone in speaking out against genocide. Wassen added that because there are so few Jews in the Netherlands, Israeli or Dutch politicians often dictate what they supposedly want, making the Red Line demonstration a chance to correct that image and show another way to be Jewish. Elena Burgos Martinez, a member of the antizionist Jewish organization Erev Rav who is connected to several Palestinian-Dutch organizations, recounted being yelled at by Amsterdam residents who barked that she and others should be put in camps and gassed, and being accused of self-hatred when criticizing Israel. She stated that the Netanyahu government has made the world less safe for Jews and holds Israel largely responsible for the global rise in antisemitism since October 7, while noting that unlike thirty years ago after the Second World War when people generally backed Israel, many more Jews now dare to voice their opinions.

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