Jerusalem Quartet to perform in Amsterdam after all; Saturday concert will go ahead

One canceled concert by the Israeli music group Jerusalem Quartet in the Koninklijk Concertgebouw in Amsterdam on Saturday will go ahead after all. The Concertgebouw reported this in a statement. The two performances were canceled earlier this week “due to announced demonstrators and the recent developments surrounding protests in Amsterdam.” One performance was scheduled for Thursday evening, the other for Saturday.

A spokesperson for the Concertgebouw reported that “with tightened security measures, adjusted visitor flows, and an adjusted starting time,” it proved possible to guarantee the safety of visitors, employees, and musicians. The concert will also be broadcast live via a stream on the Concertgebouw’s website.

According to the Concertgebouw, the main factor that played a role in canceling the concerts was that they were planned in the Main Hall and Small Hall. That would make the building very full. Disturbances would then make the situation “very precarious,” the organization said. “The very recent disturbances in and around the University of Amsterdam were the direct and only reason for making this decision. The Concertgebouw felt the risk was too great,” the organization said.

Previous performances by the Israeli group in Amsterdam and The Hague were disrupted by demonstrators shouting over the music and displaying Palestinian flags.

The concert's cancellation surprised the Amsterdam office of the mayor, police, and prosecutor, which said on Wednesday that it had not been consulted in the decision. The Concertgebouw informed the office about the situation, but the decision to cancel the performances “had already been made,” a spokesperson for Mayor Femke Halsema said.

The cancellation also prompted angry reactions from the Central Jewish Consultation, which insisted that the performances go ahead. “You are letting the rapaille take over here,” the organization said. The word “rapaille” is an insult in Dutch referring to people of the lowest character.

British-Palestinian doctor can enter Netherlands after all

The British-Palestinian doctor Ghassan Abu-Sittah will be allowed to enter the Netherlands after all. He was denied entry earlier this month in line with a German decision. Abu-Sittah was denied a visa there, but a German court ruled on Wednesday that the step was unlawful.

Due to the German court’s ruling Abu-Sittah can now travel to the Schengen area again, outgoing Minister Hanke Bruins Slot of Foreign Affairs confirmed in a parliamentary debate. His alert in the investigation system has been withdrawn. “We, of course, immediately followed Germany,” she said.