“The application of the term "pogrom" was not an Israeli invention. It was used by Dutch politicians who recognized the severity and antisemitic nature of the incident," Sa'ar said.

If Amsterdam mayor Femke Halsema could repeat the press conference on the day after the Ajax vs Maccabi Tel Aviv match, she would not use the word “pogrom” again in relation to the violence in her city. Israel and Dutch national politics have used the term as propaganda to increase the divides in society, she told Nieuwsuur on Sunday. “That is not what I meant or wanted.”