Amsterdam Turns Red Again for Gaza
On Sunday 8 November 2026, Amsterdam hosted the fourth Red Line march calling for stronger Dutch action over Gaza. Demonstrators dressed in red gathered at Museumplein for speeches at 1pm, then marched through Amsterdam Zuid and Oud-West, around Vondelpark, until 4pm, according to DutchNews and NL Times. Banners read “Free Palestine” and “No Dutch Support for Apartheid”.
Turnout estimates vary sharply. NL Times reported at least 200,000. TRT World attributed “upwards of 200,000” to Amnesty International Netherlands. AFP, carried by the Times of Israel, reported that organisers said “some 20,000”. No police estimate has been published.
The march was organised by The Rights Forum with a coalition of groups including Amnesty International, Oxfam Novib and PAX. Former Amsterdam mayor Job Cohen and former minister Jozias van Aartsen took part, according to NL Times.
Rob Jetten: From Protester to Prime Minister
Prime Minister Rob Jetten attended a similar protest in 2025, before taking office, according to AFP and DutchNews. At his weekly press conference on Friday, he told reporters it would now be “inappropriate” for him to take part.
According to TRT World, Jetten said at the same press conference: “Every single day and every single week, we do what we can to alleviate the terrible situation there.” He added that his government was “exerting greater political and diplomatic pressure” on Israel.
What the Red Line Movement Demands
Organisers want the Dutch government to end all direct and indirect arms trade with Israel, expand the ban on trade with illegal settlements, impose sanctions over alleged war crimes and act independently if EU measures remain blocked, according to NL Times. TRT World reports they also demand an official declaration that Israel’s actions in Gaza amount to genocide. According to Associated Press, protesters called for tighter trade sanctions and an end to arms sales.
Netherlands-Israel Trade Restrictions: What Has the Government Done?
Since 22 September 2026, importing goods from illegal Israeli settlements has been prohibited, according to NL Times and Dutch Customs. Deliberate violations can carry up to six years in prison. The measure does not ban trade with Israel within its internationally recognised borders. The Council of State published its advice on the measure in June 2026, and the Centre for Research on Multinational Corporations (SOMO) has called it “limited and hard to enforce”.
The Netherlands has also placed two Israeli government ministers on its sanctions list. F-35 parts exports to Israel, halted in February 2024, have not resumed, according to NL Times. In October 2025 the Dutch Supreme Court required the government to reassess the export licence.
Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen has rejected claims that the government is doing too little.
Israel’s Diplomatic Retaliation Against the Netherlands
In September 2026, Israel revoked the diplomatic status of Dutch personnel in Ramallah. Foreign Minister Gideon Saar linked the move directly to the settlement-goods ban, according to DutchNews. Berendsen called the decision “unnecessary”, said he “deeply regrets” it, and said the ban “is not directed at Israel” but reflects an obligation under international law.
Four Red Line Marches: What Happens Next?
Organisers estimated more than 100,000 people in The Hague in May 2025, 150,000 in June 2025 and about 250,000 in Amsterdam in October 2025, according to DutchNews and NL Times. Police called the October figure “entirely plausible”.
Some speakers at the November march faced accusations of links to armed Palestinian groups, which organiser spokesman Edwin van ‘t Pad dismissed. For Jetten, the question remains how far his government will go for a movement he once joined.
Should a prime minister march for Gaza? Read more about this at verumnetwork.com.
SOURCES
- NL Times, 8 November 2026
- DutchNews, 8 November 2026
- AFP via Times of Israel, 8 November 2026
- TRT World, 8 November 2026
- Associated Press, 8 November 2026
- NL Times, 7 November 2026
- NL Times, 22 September 2026
- Dutch Customs, updated 5 October 2026
- Dutch Council of State, 29 June 2026
- NL Times, 28 September 2026
- DutchNews, 28 September 2026
- Dutch Supreme Court, 3 October 2025
- NL Times, 5 October 2025
