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The Dutch government is examining whether Israeli authorities engaged in unwanted foreign interference following anti-Semitic attacks in Amsterdam earlier this month. The National Coordinator for Counterterrorism and Security (NCTV) is leading the investigation, focusing on actions by Israeli officials and reports circulated to Dutch politicians.

Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp confirmed during a parliamentary debate that the NCTV is assessing whether the involvement of Israeli authorities crossed acceptable boundaries. "At this moment, officials are still working on determining if this constitutes a case of unwanted interference," Veldkamp stated. "I expect the report to be sent to Parliament by the end of next week. At the same time, I acknowledge the emotions within the Israeli cabinet."

Israeli ministers publicly criticized the Dutch response shortly after the violence, claiming Dutch authorities were warned in advance about risks surrounding the Ajax-Maccabi Tel Aviv football match. The Dutch government has denied receiving such warnings. Additionally, Israeli officials shared a detailed report with Dutch lawmakers, alleging connections between Dutch activists and Hamas.

GreenLeft-PvdA MP Kati Piri, who requested clarification from Veldkamp, expressed concerns about the extent of Israeli involvement. "A report is being shared, and Israeli ministers are offering strong criticism," Piri said. "I want to know if this indeed constitutes unwanted interference."

A spokesperson for the NCTV indicated that the agency is compiling its findings under the guidance of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. "The ministry is the commissioning authority; we cannot comment further," the spokesperson said.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar sharply criticized Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema after she walked back her use of the term "pogrom" to describe the violence. Sa'ar labeled the mayor’s comments a "cover-up" and stated on social media: "Hundreds of Israeli fans who came to a football match were followed and attacked. There is no other word for this than a pogrom."

The situation has also drawn attention to the Israeli Diaspora Affairs Ministry, which sent a 27-page report to Dutch politicians ahead of the parliamentary debate. The report, reportedly accusing Dutch organizations and individuals, including Palestinian-Dutch citizens, of links to Hamas, became a contentious point during discussions.

More school pupils with immigrant roots are being advised to follow the pre-university (VWO) or senior general secondary education (HAVO) track in their secondary school advice. More pupils with a foreign background also followed these forms of education, but their pass rate has decreased more rapidly than average since the coronavirus pandemic, Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reported on Friday.

For students born abroad, the proportion recommended for HAVO or VWO increased from 47 percent in 2011/12 to 51 percent in 2022/23. In the 2022/23 school year, 49 percent of primary school pupils whose parents were both born abroad (second-generation immigrants) received a HAVO or VWO recommendation, compared to 38 percent in 2011/12. On average, 57 percent of all group 8 pupils received this advice in 2022/23 and 54 percent in 2011/12. The difference has, therefore, become smaller.

HAVO or VWO is the highest education level advice pupils can receive. The increase in this type of advice among non-Dutch pupils indicates an increase in academic performance. The increase was greatest among the second-generation group with roots in Morocco, from 34 percent recommended for HAVO or VWO in 2011/12 to 50 percent in 2022/23. For pupils born abroad, the increase was highest among pupils born in Turkey, from 30 percent to 67 percent.

In the 2023/24 school year, 49 percent of students in the third year of secondary school attended HAVO or VWO. “This share has also increased among students of foreign origin,” CBS said - from 30 percent in 2011/12 to 41 percent eleven years later for the second-generation group, and from 39 to 46 percent in the group of students born abroad.

In the 2022/23 school year, 86 percent of HAVO and VWO students passed, less than in the previous year. The pass rate was below average for students with Turkish (69%), Moroccan (70%), Surinamese (74%), and other non-European backgrounds (78%).

During the coronavirus pandemic, more flexible rules applied for the final exams, and pass rates were higher. Since then, the pass rates have decreased again. In 2022/23, the pass rates were back to the around 2011/12 level. “The share of students from the five origin groups with the lowest pass rates has fallen faster than average since the coronavirus years and, except for students with a Turkish background, is lower than in 2011/12,” CBS said.

The prices of existing owner-occupied homes in the Netherlands rose sharply again last month. According to Statistics Netherlands (CBS) and the Land Registry, buyers had to pay an average of 467,355 euros for an existing home in October. That is 11.5 percent higher than a year ago and a new record. In recent months, home prices have been rising at the fastest pace in over two years.

Compared to September, homes became 0.9 percent more expensive in October. The prices of existing owner-occupied homes peaked in July 2022. Prices then fell for a while. However, since June 2023, prices of owner-occupied homes have been rising again. In October, prices were on average 7.4 percent higher than at the previous peak in July 2022.

CBS chief economist Peter Hein van Mulligen said last month that the housing market is continuing to overheat. According to him, this is because buyers can pay more and there are still too few homes for sale. According to mortgage advisor De Hypotheker, buyers also have a greater borrowing capacity due to higher salaries and a slight decrease in mortgage interest rates. The average mortgage amount for the purchase of a new home rose to the highest level ever in the third quarter.

The fact that the demand for homes remains high is also evident from the number of transactions. In October, 18,131 homes changed hands, over 15 percent more than a year earlier. In the first ten months of this year, 164,661 homes were sold, an increase of almost 12 percent.

At the end of last month, CBS pointed out the great importance of housing construction for getting the housing market flowing. According to the statistics agency, a new home can lead to two or three other homes coming onto the market.

The government aims to structurally build 100,000 homes per year in the coming period. ABN Amro economists said in October that some 90,000 homes have started construction so far, but won’t be completed for another one or two years. According to them, the government’s target, therefore, remains out of sight for the time being.

Winter weather caused chaos on the road overnight and is expected to also result in dangerous driving conditions on Friday morning. The KNMI issued a code yellow slippery roads warning for the entire country. A ProRail strike is also disrupting train traffic, especially in the north and east.

The KNMI had a code orange warning for snow and freezing roads in place for the province of Groningen until 5:21 a.m. on Friday. The code yellow warning currently applies to the entire country except the Wadden Islands. Road users are advised to drive slowly and maintain a safe following distance. The iciness on the roads should melt away by mid-morning, the KNMI expects.

Overnight, the snow got road users in trouble in various places. The N9 near Schoorl and Koedijk in Noord-Holland was blocked in both directions for hours by vehicles that had skidded off the road. Rijkswaterstaat had to remove ice sheets from that road with the Firestorm, a vehicle that dissolves ice by spraying hot brine, NOS reports.

Passenger cars could leave the N9 shortly after midnight, but trucks had to wait longer for a recovery vehicle to help them turn around. By 1:30 a.m., all vehicles had been removed, but the highway was still closed as the Rijkswaterstaat worked on removing the ice. The public works department reopened the road at around 4:45 a.m.

ProRail train traffic controllers are striking in Groningen, Zwolle, and Arnhem until 9:00 a.m. on Friday, severely disrupting train traffic in the north and east and also impacting the rest of the country. Regional carriers Arriva and Keolis also won’t run trains this morning.

NS will start running trains in the north and east immediately after the strike ends, but it will take the rest of the morning to get everything back on the timetable. Arriva expects to get back on schedule during the course of the morning. Keolis advised travelers to use alternative transport or start their journey after 9:00 a.m.

Friday will be overwhelmingly cloudy with showers throughout the day. These could fall in the form of snow, especially inland. Maximums will range between 3 degrees in the east and 6 degrees along the coast, with a moderate westerly wind inland and a strong northwesterly wind next to the sea.

Saturday will start dry, but some showers may fall in the west and north during the afternoon. There is little room for sunshine. Maximums will climb to around 4 degrees. “Sunday during the day will be very mild and mostly dry. Rain on Monday. On both days quite a lot of wind,” the KNMI said. “From Tuesday calmer and less mild autumn weather with decreasing chances of showers and more sun.”

The International Criminal Court in The Hague has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and Mohammed Deif, the military chief of Hamas, citing allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity in the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict. Should Netanyahu visit the Netherlands, Dutch authorities would place him into custody on behalf of the ICC, the Dutch Foreign Minister confirmed during a debate in Parliament on Thursday.

The ICC's Pre-Trial Chamber I rejected Israel's challenges to the court's jurisdiction over Palestine and issued warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant. The charges include crimes against humanity, such as murder, persecution, and inhumane acts, as well as the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare.

The warrants are classified as secret, but the ICC disclosed some information. The chamber stated that Netanyahu and Gallant deprived Gaza’s civilian population of essential goods, including food, water, medicine, and fuel, from October 8, 2023, to May 20, 2024. The ICC noted that this deprivation resulted in civilian deaths, including children, due to malnutrition and dehydration.

"Decisions to allow humanitarian assistance were often conditional and insufficient," the ICC stated, adding that actions to impede humanitarian aid violated international law.

The chamber also accused the two officials of failing to prevent or repress attacks on Gaza’s civilian population, amounting to the war crime of intentionally targeting civilians.

The ICC also issued an arrest warrant for Mohammed Deif, the leader of Hamas’ military wing, the al-Qassam Brigades. Deif faces charges of murder, extermination, torture, and hostage-taking. Mohammed Deif, leader of Hamas’ military wing, was also charged by the ICC. The court accused him of orchestrating the October 7, 2023, attack in which hundreds of Israeli civilians were killed and hostages were taken.

The ICC described the assault as “a coordinated mass killing of civilians.” It provided evidence that hostages were tortured, subjected to sexual violence, and used as bargaining tools in negotiations with Israel.

Deif, born in 1965, is charged with murder, extermination, torture, and hostage-taking. He is accused of planning and ordering the attacks and failing to prevent crimes committed by subordinates.

Netherlands would arrest Netanyahu

The Netherlands expressed support for the ICC’s decision. Dutch Foreign Minister Veldkamp stated, “If [Netanyahu] comes to Dutch soil, he will be arrested.”

Veldkamp emphasized the country's commitment to enforcing the Rome Statute, which established the ICC. “The Netherlands implements the Rome Statute 100%,” Veldkamp said.

The Netherlands has suspended non-essential diplomatic contact with Netanyahu, Gallant, and Deif. However, Veldkamp clarified that essential discussions would require approval from the Dutch cabinet.

Opposition parties in the Netherlands criticized the government for maintaining any contact with Netanyahu. “It’s unacceptable for members of the Dutch Cabinet to shake hands with someone under such serious charges,” they argued.

The ICC reiterated its jurisdiction over crimes committed in Palestine, citing its recognition of Palestine’s membership in the court since 2015. Despite Israeli objections, the court confirmed that its territorial jurisdiction extends to Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem.