Israel condemns Alkmaar's ban on Hapoel Beersheva fans for Europa League match
Alkmaar authorities barred Hapoel Beersheva supporters from Thursday's Europa League match against AZ Alkmaar over security concerns. Israel's Foreign Ministry condemned the decision; the mayor's office says it is final.
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The story, neutrally told
Right · 2Authorities in Alkmaar, the Netherlands, have banned Hapoel Beersheva fans from attending the club's match against AZ Alkmaar at the AFAS Stadium on Thursday, 15 October. JNSR “the decision this week of local authorities in Alkmaar near Amsterdam to exclude Hapoel Beersheva fans from a match against AZ Alkmaar scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 15 at Alkmaar’s AFAS Stadium” Read at JNS ↗ The Jerusalem PostRC “Hapoel Be'er Sheva fans have been banned from attending a match against AZ in Alkmaar this coming Thursday over security concerns” Read at The Jerusalem Post ↗ Right · 2Israel's Foreign Ministry condemned the ban on X, saying: "Two years after Israelis were hunted through the streets of Amsterdam, the Dutch answer is to ban the victims, not the attackers." JNSR ““Two years after Israelis were hunted through the streets of Amsterdam, the Dutch answer is to ban the victims, not the attackers,” a ministry spokesperson wrote on X.” Read at JNS ↗ The Jerusalem PostRC “Two years after Israelis were hunted through the streets of Amsterdam, the Dutch answer is to ban the victims, not the attackers.” Read at The Jerusalem Post ↗ Right · 2The ministry said the exclusion "rewards those who threaten and incite violence and runs counter to the very spirit of sport", and called it "yet another stain on the Netherlands", which it said is increasingly one of the world's leading hotspots for antisemitism; it likened the ban to boycotting Eurovision. JNSR ““Alkmaar’s exclusion of fans rewards those who threaten and incite violence and runs counter to the very spirit of sport,” the ministry added.” Read at JNS ↗ The Jerusalem PostRC “banning Israeli fans from attending the match, like boycotting Eurovision, is "yet another stain on the Netherlands,"” Read at The Jerusalem Post ↗
Right · 1Mayor Anja Schouten said of the ban that "the tensions in society have not diminished over the past two years", a reference JNS linked to the November 2024 violence against Maccabi Tel Aviv fans in Amsterdam. JNSR “Mayor Anja Schouten said last month of the ban on Hapoel fans that “we must say that the tensions in society have not diminished over the past two years.”” Read at JNS ↗ Right · 1According to Nieuwsuur, as relayed by the Jerusalem Post, the mayor's spokesperson said the decision is fixed and the match will be played without an away crowd. The Jerusalem PostRC “The mayor's spokesperson told Nieuwsuur that the decision to ban away fans is fixed and that football will be played in Alkmaar on Thursday, without an away crowd.” Read at The Jerusalem Post ↗ Right · 1Israeli Ambassador Zvi Aviner Vapni is understood to have phoned Mayor Schouten, urging that everything be done to let Israeli supporters attend safely, "if necessary in limited numbers". The Jerusalem PostRC “Israeli Ambassador Zvi Aviner Vapni is understood to have held a telephone conversation with Alkmaar mayor Anja Schouten” Read at The Jerusalem Post ↗
Right · 1Israel's ambassador to the EU, Avi Nir-Feldklein, said he had planned to travel to Alkmaar but learned all Israeli supporters were banned because of "very high risk", and said extremists were allowed to march while fans were banned. The Jerusalem PostRC “Instead of stopping the extremists, they banned the fans.” Read at The Jerusalem Post ↗ Right · 1Two anti-Israel demonstrations are planned before the match; the mayor moved them to Rhijnvis Feithlaan opposite the stadium, but local police said there is insufficient space on the stadium site to separate protesters and supporters and prevent disorder. The Jerusalem PostRC “local police said there is insufficient space on the stadium site to separate protesters and football supporters and to prevent disorder.” Read at The Jerusalem Post ↗ Right · 1It is the second restriction on the club in under a month: in September the mayor of Leuven, Belgium, blocked the city from hosting the club's 22 October Europa League match against Union Saint-Gilloise. The Jerusalem PostRC “This is the second ban on Hapoel Be'er Sheva in less than a month.” Read at The Jerusalem Post ↗
Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.
Left0 outlets
No left outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
Centre0 outlets
No centre outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
Right2 outlets
- Framing
- Both Israeli right-leaning outlets lead with the Israeli Foreign Ministry's condemnation, presenting the ban as punishing victims of antisemitic violence and tying it to the 2024 Amsterdam attacks.
- Emphasis
- Ministry and ambassador statements, the Amsterdam 2024 precedent, the Leuven ban, and the Arab-Israeli players in the squad.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Neither gives detailed Dutch authorities' risk assessment beyond the mayor's brief remark and police space concerns; no Dutch officials respond to the antisemitism charge.
- Charged language
- “Jew-hunt”“leading hotbed of antisemitism”“yet another stain on the Netherlands”“hunted through the streets of Amsterdam”
- For example
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“Alkmaar’s decision to exclude Israeli supporters from Thursday’s match rewards threats and punishes victims of antisemitic violence” — JNS
“Instead of stopping the extremists, they banned the fans.” — The Jerusalem Post
What every side reports
- Hapoel Beersheva fans are banned from the 15 October match at AZ Alkmaar.
- Israel's Foreign Ministry condemned the ban on X.
- The ban is linked to security concerns and the 2024 Amsterdam violence against Maccabi Tel Aviv fans.
Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs organisation
Says the ban rewards those who threaten violence, punishes victims, and reflects rising antisemitism in the Netherlands.
““Alkmaar’s exclusion of fans rewards those who threaten and incite violence and runs counter to the very spirit of sport,”” — JNS
AZ Alkmaar organisation
Alkmaar's mayor's office cites societal tensions and security risk and says the ban is fixed; the club's own position is not reported.
“the decision to ban away fans is fixed” — The Jerusalem Post
Left0 articles
No coverage yet.
Centre0 articles
No coverage yet.
Right2 articles
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JNSR ·
Israel condemns Dutch ban on Hapoel Beersheva fans
Critical Relays the Foreign Ministry's accusation that the ban punishes victims, with Amsterdam 2024 context.
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Netherlands 'leading hotbed of antisemitism': Israel condemns Hapoel Be'er Sheva ban
Critical Foregrounds Israeli officials' condemnation and the Netherlands as an antisemitism hotspot, while including the mayor's office and police safety concerns.
- 13 Oct 10:37 First JNSR Israel condemns Dutch ban on Hapoel Beersheva fans
- 13 Oct 20:02 +9h 24m The Jerusalem PostRC Netherlands 'leading hotbed of antisemitism': Israel condemns Hapoel Be'er Sheva ban
Times are when each article was published, or when we first saw it if the outlet gave no time.
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