Dutch court rejects pro-Palestinian groups’ demand for weapons exports ban to Israel
Ruling says the Netherlands has done due diligence in ensuring the arms it exports to Israel aren’t used ‘in a way that could lead to a breach of humanitarian law in war’
THE HAGUE, Netherlands — A Dutch court on Friday rejected demands by pro-Palestinian groups for a ban on arms exports from the Netherlands to Israel.
The non-governmental groups had accused Israel of conducting a “genocide” in the war with Hamas in Gaza, a claim that has been roundly dismissed by Jerusalem. But the court said the Dutch government was respecting rules governing the country’s arms trade.
“The state should not be forced to impose a ban on exporting goods that can be used for military means,” the court in The Hague said in a statement.
The pro-Palestinian groups said in a statement they had expected the decision but still claimed it was a “blow” to international justice. They said they may appeal.
The groups had argued that Israel’s actions in Gaza and the West Bank since the Hamas-led onslaught in southern Israel on October 7, 2023, during which Palestinian terrorists killed some 1,200 people and took 251 hostages while committing brutal atrocities, had put it in breach of the 1948 UN genocide convention.
Zainah El-Haroun, spokesperson for the NGO Al-Haq said that the Netherlands, as the venue for the International Court of Justice and other international tribunals, had to act to “prevent genocide.”
The court said the government had carried out its obligations to assess the risk that arms exported to Israel are not used “in a way that could lead to a breach of humanitarian law in war.” It highlighted a case where a military goods export to Israel had been halted.
