Amsterdam cancels plan to twin with Tel Aviv
Amsterdam cancels plan to twin with Tel Aviv
The mayor of the capital of the Netherlands has called off a vote on twining the city with Tel Aviv, after pro-Palestinian activists persuaded many to say no.
2 min read
Amsterdam was considering a twinning project with Tel Aviv [Paul Aguirre/EyeEm]
Palestinian-allied activists are celebrating in the Netherlands after successfully putting a stop to Amsterdam Mayor Eberhard Van der Laan's plans to twin the city with the Israeli capital Tel Aviv, according to the English-language website Dutch News.
Van der Laan scrapped the vote, scheduled to take place next month, on a proposal to twin the cities, after coming under fire from his own Labor Party, GroenLinks and the Socialist Party.
The mayor, who in the past has expressed his admiration for the Israeli capital's gay-friendly atmosphere and start-up scene, is now planning to visit both Tel Aviv and the Palestinian West Bank city of Ramallah to see if the city councils can work together instead.
Leader of the left-wing green party GroenLinks, Rutger Groot Wassink, told Dutch News: "There should be no twin city deal as long as Israel occupies Palestine, structurally infringes human rights and continues its settlement policy."
In 2013, Vitens, a Dutch water company, decided to terminate its relationship with its Israeli counterpart, Mekorot, after the the Dutch foreign ministry advised it against having financial transactions with illegal Israeli settlements.
City-twinning is meant to foster friendship and understanding and encourage trade and tourism between different cities. Amsterdam is currently twinned with 20 cities, including Algiers and Istanbul.
Coincidentally, the announcement came the same day as British low-cost airline EasyJet said it would begin operating a new Tel Aviv-Amsterdam route with fares starting at 50 euros ($55).
Van der Laan scrapped the vote, scheduled to take place next month, on a proposal to twin the cities, after coming under fire from his own Labor Party, GroenLinks and the Socialist Party.
The mayor, who in the past has expressed his admiration for the Israeli capital's gay-friendly atmosphere and start-up scene, is now planning to visit both Tel Aviv and the Palestinian West Bank city of Ramallah to see if the city councils can work together instead.
Leader of the left-wing green party GroenLinks, Rutger Groot Wassink, told Dutch News: "There should be no twin city deal as long as Israel occupies Palestine, structurally infringes human rights and continues its settlement policy."
In 2013, Vitens, a Dutch water company, decided to terminate its relationship with its Israeli counterpart, Mekorot, after the the Dutch foreign ministry advised it against having financial transactions with illegal Israeli settlements.
City-twinning is meant to foster friendship and understanding and encourage trade and tourism between different cities. Amsterdam is currently twinned with 20 cities, including Algiers and Istanbul.
Coincidentally, the announcement came the same day as British low-cost airline EasyJet said it would begin operating a new Tel Aviv-Amsterdam route with fares starting at 50 euros ($55).
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