'Point of no return': 5 reactions to rioters hunting down, attacking Israelis in Amsterdam

By Samantha Kamman, Christian Post Reporter Saturday, November 09, 2024

Natalie Sanandaji

A survivor of Hamas’ Oct. 7 massacre, Natalie Sanandaji, revealed that reports of the attacks in Amsterdam triggered her anxiety, as she had just visited the city only a month ago. While Sanandaji is in Israel, the survivor shared in a Friday X post that she and her friends stumbled across a “pro-Palestine” party at a park in Amsterdam.

“I automatically thought to myself, ‘[I]f anyone in this park knew who I was or what I survived and have dedicated my life to speaking out against, would I be safe? Would they try to hurt me?’ But then I told myself I was being ridiculous,” the music festival survivor wrote. “They wouldn’t attack me here out in the open on the street.”

“But the videos I watched from last night prove that I wasn’t being ridiculous,” she continued. “They prove that my life was in fact in danger when I was in Amsterdam. Jews don’t feel safe anywhere. This just proves why we need Israel.”

A year ago, Sanandaji attended with friends what was supposed to be an all-night dance party in southern Israel. After rocket fire disrupted the event, Sanandaji and her friends began to leave, unaware of the danger they were in at first. Eventually, it became clear to Sanandaji and her friends that terrorists were attacking the event and shooting at attendees.

"We opened our doors, and we just started to run for our lives,” the survivor said, recounting her story during a Combat Antisemitism Movement webinar last October.

Sanandaji and her group ran for hours, unsure of which direction would lead them to safety. The group grew tired and decided to rest beneath a tree when suddenly, a white van approached.

At first, the friends were afraid it was a terrorist, but the driver turned out to be a man from a nearby town who had risked his life to save the festival attendees. The man dropped Sanandaji and the group off at a nearby town before returning to the festival to rescue more people.

During the webinar, Sanandaji also addressed the anti-Israel activists who, even back then, were holding protests and chanting “Free Palestine.” The survivor asserted that Hamas is not “pro-Palestine,” adding that the terror group is complicit in the deaths of innocent Israelis and Palestinians.

"This war is about a terrorist organization killing innocent people," she added. "Killing innocent people does not free Palestine. This is not the path to that; this is not the way you do it."