Dutch court rejects rights group's bid calling for halt on arms export to Israel

A Dutch court has ruled against a request by 10 pro-Palestinian NGOs to stop the Netherlands from exporting weapons to Israel, stating that the state has some leeway in its policies and courts should not rush to step in, Al Jazeera reported.

"The interim relief court finds that there is no reason to impose a total ban on the export of military and dual-use goods on the state," The Hague Court said in a statement. "All claims are dismissed."

The court's decision came after the NGOs argued that the Dutch government, as a signatory to the 1948 Genocide Convention, has a duty to "prevent genocide." They cited high civilian casualties in Israel's assault on the Gaza Strip and claimed that Israel is using Dutch weapons to wage war, according to Al Jazeera.


The NGOs' lawyer, Wout Albers, stated, "Israel is guilty of genocide and apartheid and is using Dutch weapons to wage war."

Further, the NGOs cited a January order by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to Israel to prevent acts of genocide in Gaza.

The court's decision has been met with criticism from the NGOs, with Shawan Jabarin, the general director of Al-Haq, describing it as an "abominable injustice". Jabarin accused the Netherlands of abandoning the most basic rules of international law,

"The Netherlands has abandoned the most basic rules of international law, to prevent colonisation, annexation, apartheid and genocide," he said.

Notably, the decision came a day after an Israeli air strike hit a residential building in the Nuseirat refugee camp in Gaza on Thursday, killing at least 40 Palestinians and wounding dozens more, Al Jazeera reported citing the medics.

Last month, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, and Hamas's military chief, Mohammed Deif. The warrants accuse them of crimes against humanity in connection with Israel's war on Gaza.

According to the ICC, there is "reason to believe" that Netanyahu and Gallant used "starvation as a method of warfare" by severely restricting humanitarian aid to Gaza and "intentionally targeting" civilians in Israel's assault in Gaza.

According to Gaza's health ministry, the Israeli offensive has killed at least 44,805 people in Gaza since October last year.