Explosion Reported Outside Pro-Israel Christian Center in the Netherlands

At approximately 11:30 p.m. on Friday, April 4, 2026, an explosive device detonated outside the gate of the Israel Centre in Nijkerk, a small city in the central Netherlands [1][2]. Security footage showed a person dressed in black placing the device before fleeing [3]. No one was injured. The physical damage, according to Dutch police, "appears limited for now" [4].

The target was the headquarters of Christians for Israel (Christenen voor Israël), a 47-year-old international Christian Zionist organization with over 150,000 supporters worldwide [5]. The building — part community center, part advocacy hub, part retail outlet for Israeli-made goods — sits in the heart of the Dutch Bible Belt, a strip of traditionally Reformed Protestant municipalities running from the southwest to the northeast of the country [6].

The Nijkerk explosion did not occur in isolation. It is the fourth attack on a Jewish or pro-Israel site in the Netherlands and Belgium in less than a month, and part of a broader wave of violence against such institutions across Europe and North America that has intensified since the US-Israeli military campaign against Iran began in late February 2026 [7].

The Wave: Four Weeks, Four Attacks

The timeline is stark:

• March 7: An explosion damaged a synagogue in Liège, Belgium [7].
• March 13: Four teenagers (ages 17–19) detonated an explosive outside the synagogue on A.B.N. Davidsplein in Rotterdam around 3:40 a.m., sparking a fire. They were arrested near another synagogue [8][9].
• March 14: An explosion hit a Jewish school in Amsterdam, causing building damage but no injuries [10].
• April 4: The Nijkerk blast at the Christians for Israel headquarters [1].

Source: NL Times / Times of Israel

Data as of Apr 4, 2026CSV

Beyond the Netherlands and Belgium, the first two weeks of March 2026 alone saw at least eight synagogues targeted across North America and Europe, including gun attacks on Toronto synagogues, a vehicle ramming at a Michigan temple, and incidents in Norway, France, Germany, and elsewhere [7].

An obscure group calling itself "The Islamic Movement of the Companions of the Right" (Ashab Al Yamin) claimed responsibility for the Rotterdam and Liège attacks via an online video [8][11]. No government has formally verified the group's existence or confirmed its operational capability [7]. Dutch Justice Minister David van Weel stated that "the possibility that Iran is involved in this attack is being explicitly investigated," referring to the Rotterdam synagogue bombing, though he did not cite a conclusive link [12].

Christians for Israel: The Target

Christians for Israel was founded in 1979 by the late pro-Israel activist Karel van Oordt and remains family-run [6]. The organization describes its mission as promoting "Biblical understanding in the Church and among the nations concerning God's purposes for Israel" [5]. It operates across multiple continents, with regional offices in Australia, Nigeria, Uganda, and Singapore [5].

The Nijkerk headquarters hosts exhibitions, lectures, and a shop described as the largest retail outlet for Israeli products in Europe [6]. The organization has facilitated the migration of approximately 100,000 Jewish people to Israel since 1996, working with the Jewish Agency and other Christian Zionist groups [6]. Its membership is multidenominational, drawing from Reformed Protestant, Evangelical, Afro-Caribbean, and some Catholic communities [6].

This was not the first time the building was targeted. In 2025, dozens of protesters from Extinction Rebellion, Justice Now, and a group called the Christian Collective spray-painted accusations including "supporting genocide" and "child murderers" on the facade [13]. Pro-Palestinian protests at Christians for Israel events in Barneveld and Katwijk earlier in 2026 turned violent, with objects thrown and one person injured at each location [4]. The organization described the Nijkerk explosion as part of "a worrying pattern" and stated: "This attack affects not only us but is also a signal to the Jewish community in the Netherlands" [2][4].

An Antisemitism Crisis in Numbers

The Nijkerk blast fits within a documented, sharp escalation in antisemitic incidents across the Netherlands. The Center for Information and Documentation on Israel (CIDI), a Dutch Jewish watchdog, recorded 421 antisemitic incidents in 2024 — the highest figure in its 40-year history and an 11% increase over 2023's total of 379 [14][15]. Between 2012 and 2022, the annual average was 138 incidents [14]. The surge represents a 305% increase over that baseline [14].

Source: CIDI Annual Reports

Data as of Apr 24, 2025CSV

Police data tell a parallel story. Dutch police registered 880 cases of antisemitism in 2023, up from 549 in 2022, including 43 violent incidents (up from 28) and 80 cases involving threats (up from 54) [16]. CIDI has described the situation as "an antisemitism crisis, which requires crisis management measures" [14].

The trend is consistent across Europe. The EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) conducted a survey in which only 36% of Dutch Jewish respondents positively assessed their government's efforts to ensure Jewish community security — far below the 12-country average [17]. The European Commission's 2024 progress report on combating antisemitism noted that member states had increased protective measures but acknowledged persistent gaps in implementation [18].

The Dutch Threat Landscape

The Dutch intelligence service AIVD and the National Coordinator for Security and Counterterrorism (NCTV) maintain the Netherlands' terrorist threat level at 4 out of 5 ("substantial"), meaning there is a "real chance" of an attack [19].

The December 2024 Terrorist Threat Assessment identified multiple converging risks. Jihadist networks carried out eleven attacks across Europe in 2024, while dozens more were thwarted [19]. Right-wing extremism is also growing: several young men were arrested in 2024 for inciting right-wing terrorist violence, and for the first time, individuals with anti-government ideologies were prosecuted for terrorist offenses after a group was found possessing weapons and planning "citizen arrests" of officials [19].

The AIVD estimates that several hundred young Dutch people are active in right-wing extremist and jihadist online circles, with rapid online radicalization identified as a direct threat to national security [19]. The war in Gaza "further fueled domestic polarization and extremist violence," according to the assessment, with the November 2024 Amsterdam riots around the Ajax–Maccabi Tel Aviv match cited as evidence of a "deeply polarised debate" tipping into physical violence [19][20].

Those November 2024 events remain a reference point. After the Europa League match, groups on scooters hunted Israeli football fans through Amsterdam in what Mayor Femke Halsema described as "hit-and-run" attacks, resulting in hospitalizations and 62 arrests [20]. The violence was preceded by Maccabi fans pulling down Palestinian flags and chanting "death to Arabs" [20]. Five people were convicted, and prosecutors ultimately said the violence was "influenced by the situation in Gaza, not by anti-Semitism" — a characterization disputed by Jewish community leaders [20].

Dutch Policy and the Israel Question

The Netherlands' political relationship with Israel has undergone a visible shift since October 7, 2023. The government initially condemned the Hamas attacks "in the strongest possible terms" [21]. But as the war in Gaza continued and Israel imposed a blockade on humanitarian aid, Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp publicly called in May 2025 for the EU to review its Association Agreement with Israel, arguing the blockade could constitute a breach of international law [22].

An Ipsos poll published in April 2025 found 54% of Dutch respondents advocating for the cabinet to take a more critical stance toward Israel, up from 47% in an earlier survey [23]. Large-scale protests in support of Palestinian rights became a regular feature in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and The Hague [23].

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar criticized the Netherlands after it joined South Africa's genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice, a move that coincided with the Rotterdam synagogue attack in March 2026 [7]. Security analysts have debated whether the Dutch government's evolving posture has emboldened attackers, or whether the violence is driven primarily by transnational jihadist networks exploiting the broader US-Israel-Iran conflict rather than responding to specific Dutch policy positions.

Security Gaps

The question of whether Jewish and pro-Israel institutions in the Netherlands are adequately protected has been raised repeatedly. After October 7, 2023, local governments — in consultation with the national government — increased security around Jewish institutions, deploying both National Police and Royal Constabulary officers [17]. A volunteer organization, For Life and Welfare, supplements this with private security [17].

In 2024, the Dutch government allocated €4.5 million ($4.8 million) for a new antisemitism strategy, including €1.2 million specifically for securing Jewish institutions [24]. Yet the Dutch parliament rejected a broader proposal to fund Jewish security at higher levels, prompting criticism from Jewish community organizations [24].

The contrast with neighboring countries is notable. France maintains a permanent military presence — Operation Sentinelle — at Jewish schools, synagogues, and community centers, deploying thousands of soldiers [17]. Germany significantly expanded police protection at Jewish sites after the 2019 Halle synagogue attack. The United Kingdom's Community Security Trust, a Jewish community-funded organization, coordinates closely with police and maintains a professional security apparatus [17]. Dutch Jewish community members have consistently rated their government's protective efforts lower than counterparts in other surveyed EU nations [17].

Christians for Israel, as a Christian rather than Jewish organization, likely fell outside the heightened security perimeter afforded to explicitly Jewish institutions — a gap the Nijkerk bombing has now exposed.

Could There Be Another Explanation?

Police cautioned that it was "too early to determine a motive" for the Nijkerk explosion [3]. While the pattern of attacks on Jewish and pro-Israel sites provides a strong circumstantial case for ideological motivation, alternative explanations cannot be dismissed.

Christians for Israel has attracted opposition from diverse quarters — not only from Islamist extremists but from left-wing activists (Extinction Rebellion, Justice Now), Christian anti-Zionists (the Christian Collective), and pro-Palestinian demonstrators [13]. The organization's commercial activities, including importing Israeli settlement products, have made it a target for the BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) movement. A domestic grievance or even criminal activity unrelated to ideology remains a possibility that investigators have not ruled out.

The claim by Ashab Al Yamin for the Rotterdam and Liège attacks has not been independently verified [7]. The group's online footprint is thin, and some analysts have raised the question of whether the claims are opportunistic — taking credit for attacks carried out by loosely affiliated or unaffiliated individuals rather than directing a coordinated campaign. The investigation into potential Iranian involvement in the Rotterdam attack also remains inconclusive [12].

That said, the clustering of attacks in time and geography, the consistent targeting of Jewish and pro-Israel institutions, and the nighttime modus operandi involving explosive devices all point toward a coordinated or at least inspired campaign rather than coincidence.

Legal Consequences

If perpetrators are identified and apprehended, they face serious charges under Dutch law. The four teenagers arrested for the Rotterdam synagogue attack are already suspected of "causing an explosion, arson and attempted arson, all with a terrorist intent" [9]. Under Article 83 of the Dutch Criminal Code, a terrorist intent designation significantly increases maximum sentences — typically doubling them.

Dutch law also provides for prosecution under Sections 137c and 137d of the Criminal Code, covering insult of a group on the basis of race or religion and incitement to hatred and discrimination [25]. The Rotterdam prosecutors stated the attack was "aimed at instilling serious fear in a population group, in this case the Jewish community" [9].

Precedent exists. Following the November 2024 Amsterdam riots, 16 people were convicted of offenses including public violence and downplaying the Holocaust [20]. In earlier cases, the Public Prosecution Service recorded 181 cases of antisemitism as the basis for discrimination charges in 2023 alone, nearly double the 94 cases in 2022 [16].

The Nijkerk investigation is ongoing. No arrests have been made, and police continue to appeal for witnesses who may have seen the suspect in black near the Israel Centre on Friday night [1][3].

What Comes Next

The Nijkerk explosion marks an escalation in one specific sense: it extends the target set beyond Jewish institutions to a Christian organization whose connection to Israel is ideological and religious rather than ethnic. If the pattern holds, this broadening of targets — from synagogues and Jewish schools to Christian Zionist organizations — represents a shift that security services across Europe will need to account for.

Nijkerk Mayor Gerard Renkema condemned the attack and pledged cooperation with national authorities [4]. Rotterdam Mayor Carola Schouten had already announced heightened police presence at Jewish institutions following the synagogue bombing there [7]. Whether that protective umbrella will now extend to organizations like Christians for Israel — and at what cost and scale — remains an open question for Dutch policymakers facing a threat that shows no sign of receding.