King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands juxtaposed in a Christmas address Wednesday the malaise of Dutch Jews and Palestinians, urging the former not to emigrate and reminding the latter that “this is your country, too.”

The unusual appeal, which many praised and many others said was misguided and inappropriate, came in the wake of a wave of antisemitic assaults in Amsterdam on Nov. 7-8 by Muslim men against Israeli soccer fans.

The assaults, which many Dutch Jews have called a pogrom, prompted a heated national debate about antisemitism, Muslim radicalism and allegations that Israel is perpetrating genocide in Gaza. Earlier this week, five of the perpetrators were given what were widely seen as lenient sentences.