An explosion occurred outside the Israel Center in Nijkerk, Netherlands, on the night of Good Friday to Easter Saturday. The center is the headquarters of the international aid organization "Christians for Israel" (C4I), the umbrella organization of Christians Standing with Israel. Police have launched an investigation.
By Anemone Rüger
The explosion, which occurred shortly before midnight on April 3rd at the gate of the recently erected security fence around the Israel Center, was heard far and wide. Property damage was caused. None of the center's employees were injured.
In recent years, the Israel Center has been attacked several times by anti-Israel groups. At the end of November 2024, the center suffered considerable damage when it was the target of a large-scale paint attack, primarily carried out by activists from the Extinction Rebellion movement. Numerous demonstrations and smaller attacks have since led to a significant increase in security measures at the building. Against this backdrop, a targeted attack on the organization's headquarters is suspected. Initial police investigations indicate that a person dressed in black is being sought who allegedly placed the explosive device at the scene shortly before the detonation.
The suspected attack fits into a worrying pattern of increasing attacks on Jewish and pro-Israel targets in the Netherlands and Belgium. In mid-March, an explosion occurred in quick succession outside a synagogue in Liège, Belgium, followed by an arson attack on a synagogue in Rotterdam, and shortly thereafter by an explosion at a Jewish school in Amsterdam.
“We will not be deterred – we will continue our work,” explains C4I spokesperson Sara van Oordt. “We have a biblical message of God’s faithfulness to his people, and we are committed to fighting antisemitism. In a free society, there may be differences of opinion, but that must never be an excuse for violence. This is a line that must not be crossed.”
