I Have Lost Respect for My Own Country

The Netherlands Has Lost Its Moral Compass and Its Coverage of Israel Proves It

I have lost respect for my own country. And that is not something I say lightly.

The articles published about Israel in Dutch media lately, especially in so-called “quality" newspapers, are mind-blowing, shameful, and dangerously shallow. They lack context, lack history, lack honesty… and as a result, they fuel antisemitism in a society that, frankly, has become too comfortable criticizing Jews again.

The latest example? Trouw published a piece praising the opinion of Ta-Nehisi Coates, a South African who claims Israel is an “apartheid state.”

Let me be clear: The article is a disgrace, not because he has an opinion, but because the journalist presents it as fact, without even the most basic context about the conflict, Israel’s history, or the actual meaning of apartheid.

His statements are, I’ll say it, mind-blowing, shameful, and simply STUPID.

Below is what Coates claims, followed by the real facts journalists should have included but chose not to.

1. “Israel is denying Palestinians a two-state solution.”

Absolutely false.

Israel withdrew unilaterally from Gaza in 2005, removing every single soldier, every settlement, every resident, even the graves of Jews had to be relocated to avoid desecration.

Gaza was handed over completely. They had the chance to build a Singapore-like success story. They had billions in aid, greenhouses ready to use, infrastructure, resources, international support.

And what did they do?

They burned the greenhouses. They installed Hamas. They launched rockets. They dug terror tunnels. They murdered Jews.

They chose terrorism over state-building.

And then came October 7th, the largest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust. Babies murdered. Women raped. Whole families burned alive. Elderly kidnapped.

THIS is why a two-state solution cannot happen now. Not because of Israel, but because Israel has no partner who wants peace more than it wants Jewish blood.

2. “Israel uses segregated roads,  apartheid!”

No. Again, context matters.

Some roads were separated for the most basic reason imaginable: to prevent Jewish civilians from being stoned, shot at, or stabbed while driving.

Rock-throwing is not harmless, it has killed babies, mothers, and drivers. Terror attacks skyrocketed. Buses were blown up. Cars were ambushed.

So yes: Israel built a security wall and separated some roads, because Jews were being murdered. This is not apartheid. This is survival.

3. “Israel has a dual justice system for Jews and Palestinians.”

Another lie.

In Israel itself, the legal system is 100% equal for Arabs and Jews alike.

Arab judges sit on the Supreme Court. Arab doctors treat Jewish patients and vice versa. Arab parliament members openly criticize the government and they are protected by law. Arabs vote. Arabs study at universities. Arabs serve in the army if they choose. Arabs can become lawyers, teachers, engineers, CEOs, whatever they want.

Israel is the only country in the Middle East where Arabs enjoy full democratic rights.

Let that sink in.

The “dual system” Coates refers to exists only in Judea & Samaria and it is based on citizenship, not race.

• Israeli citizens fall under Israeli civilian law.
• Palestinians fall under Palestinian Authority law (when enforced) or under military law during security operations because Israel is dealing with a hostile armed entity, not a racial group.

This is not race-based. It is conflict-based--exactly what happens in every armed conflict worldwide.

So What DID Real Apartheid Look Like?

Here’s the comparison that Dutch journalists conveniently refuse to make:

Apartheid South Africa:

• Blacks could not vote.
• Blacks needed passes to move around.
• Blacks were barred from schools, beaches, hospitals, universities.
• Interracial marriage was illegal.
• 3.5 million non-whites were forcibly removed from their homes.
• Protestors were massacred.
• Entire populations were stripped of citizenship.
• Only whites could own land or work certain jobs.
• All public spaces were segregated--benches, toilets, parks, buses, entrances.
• South Africa was completely isolated internationally because apartheid was recognized as a crime against humanity.

Israel:

• Over 2 million Arab citizens with full equal rights.
• Arabs in parliament, government, hospitals, courts, the army, universities.
• Arabs vote freely.
• Women have equal rights.
• LGBTQ+ people are protected.
• Freedom of religion is guaranteed.
• No forced removals.
• No racial bans on marriage.
• No racial classification by law.
• No segregated public spaces.
• No racial superiority ideology.
• No laws giving more rights to Jews than Arabs.

Anyone who compares Israel to apartheid South Africa is either ignorant or malicious. There is no middle ground.

So why does Dutch media keep amplifying these lies?

There is only one explanation:

Ignorance mixed with comfortable, socially accepted antisemitism.

When it comes to any other topic, Dutch journalists demand nuance. They insist on context. They avoid sweeping historical comparisons. They fact-check.

But when the topic is Israel? They suddenly forget what journalism is.

Coates’ one-sided vision is printed as truth. History is erased. Jewish suffering is minimized. Terrorism is ignored. Facts are irrelevant.

Israel is guilty by default.

And the Dutch public, uninformed, sheltered, and increasingly radicalized, swallows it whole.

As a Dutch citizen, as a person who values honesty, and as someone who believes in justice, I am deeply ashamed.

Ashamed of the media. Ashamed of the selective moral outrage. Ashamed of the intellectual laziness. Ashamed of how quickly this country forgets its own history and its obligations to truth.

The Netherlands used to stand for human rights and moral clarity. Today, it stands for moral hypocrisy.

Israel is not perfect. No country is.

But calling it an apartheid state is not journalism, it is propaganda.

And when Dutch media fuels this lie, they are not informing the public. They are feeding a wave of antisemitism that has again become socially acceptable.

For the sake of truth, for the sake of Jewish safety , for the sake of intellectual integrity:

It is time to stand up for Israel.