Israel: source of divergence

A discussion of 'divided loyalties'in which the contrasts are sharply defined. In 1973, the Netherlands was the target of an Arab boycott, because it was friendly with Israel. However, many Dutch companies escaped boycott by signing a niet-Jood verklaring ('non-Jew declaration), more or less with the knowledge of the Dutch government. This scandal, as well as a greater tendency to criticize Israel and the fear that antisemitism was on the rise led to the formation of several powerful pro-active Jewish organizations, such as STIBA and CIDI.