**Cold Reception for Israeli Defender’s Move to Dutch Club Twente**
A cool welcome awaits Israeli Premier League champions Maccabi Tel Aviv’s defender Stav Lemkin, who is expected to sign with Dutch club FC Twente this Wednesday. The club has agreed to purchase Lemkin from Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk, where he was on loan to Maccabi Tel Aviv this season.
Lemkin, who also plays for the Israeli national team, has stirred controversy in the Netherlands—a country increasingly seen as unfriendly toward Israelis. Pro-Arab residents and immigrants in Amsterdam showed their animosity last season when they violently attacked Maccabi Tel Aviv fans after a UEFA Europa League match against Ajax.
Twente fans took to social media to voice opposition to signing an Israeli during the ongoing 'Operation Iron Swords,' with Israel fighting on several fronts—Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and recently Iran.
Some supporters called the move immoral. “Israel is committing war crimes in Gaza that would make Adolf Hitler envious,” one fan claimed. “They shoot starving people at aid centers, and the world just watches or supports Israel. Signing an Israeli legitimizes that. If I were Twente, I’d look elsewhere.”
Another fan criticized the club’s management: “Can’t they find someone else? Why welcome an Israeli war machine? I hope the reports are false.”
These views, though from a subset of Twente fans, are seen as indicative of rising anti-Israel sentiment in Dutch football.
Similar backlash occurred when Israeli goalkeeper Daniel Peretz, currently with Bayern Munich, was linked with PSV Eindhoven, where Eran Zahavi previously played. Opponents claimed his presence might cause tension with Moroccan players on the squad.
Still, others rejected the idea of disqualifying a player based on nationality.
“You oppose signing Lemkin just because he’s Israeli?” one commenter asked. “If war broke out in the Netherlands, would that make you war criminals? These ‘good people’ judge Israel without ever visiting. I hope no one listens to these idiots.”