Israel’s Fault, says Assaulted Rabbi

Amsterdam- an Anti-Zionist rabbi blamed Israel for his attack in the city, JTA reports. Antebi is an Orthodox Jew who has resided in the Netherlands. 50-year-old Rabbi Josef Antebi told JTA he was beaten on Sunday in Amsterdam. He described the suspect as a young man who “had relatively dark skin and didn’t look very Dutch, or at least didn’t look like his family has been living in Holland for centuries.” Downtown Amsterdam at night
Ianaré Sévi/flickr Antebi was allegedly kicked in the abdomen by a lad who was driving a car that almost hit him. He filed a police complaint and he was later brought to the hospital to have his injuries checked. Amsterdam police’s spokesperson told JTA that an investigation is ongoing; however, they are unsure if the assault was anti-Semitic. “Currently we are assuming it is an argument about traffic that got out of hand,” she said. Antebi photographed his attacker using his mobile phone. He recalled the suspect bellowing offensive words, targeting his religion and race. He said he asked a seafood vendor to alert the police as the aggressor was coming to get him, but the vendor “just motion ‘no.’ He told JTA that the attacker’s behavior does not shock him. “The one to blame is the Zionist state, which is doing a lot of bad things to people,” he explained.