Danish court to rule if Israel arms sale case is admissible

COPENHAGEN, Denmark — A Copenhagen court is to rule today whether a lawsuit filed by four humanitarian organizations accusing Denmark of violating international law by exporting weapons to Israel is admissible in court.

The Palestinian human rights association Al-Haq, Amnesty International, Oxfam, and Action Aid Denmark filed the lawsuit against the Danish Foreign Ministry and national police last year.

They said in a statement there was a risk that “Danish military materiel was being used to commit serious crimes against civilians in Gaza.”

The associations targeted the foreign ministry in their lawsuit since it “determines whether there is a risk that weapons and weapons components could be used to violate human rights” and the police because it was the authority responsible for issuing export licenses.

Denmark’s Eastern High Court is expected to announce its decision around 10:00 am (0800 GMT).

“We are the biggest human rights organization in the world and our mandate is clearly to protect human rights,” the secretary general of the Danish branch of Amnesty International, Vibe Klarup, says in a statement.