Dutch [Netherlands]: A Dutch court has dismissed a request by 10 pro-Palestinian NGOs to halt arms exports from the Netherlands to Israel, citing that the government has policy discretion, and courts should refrain from intervening unnecessarily, according to Al Jazeera.
“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 stated. “All claims are dismissed.”
The NGOs had argued that, as a signatory to the 1948 Genocide Convention, the Dutch government is obligated to prevent genocide. They cited significant civilian casualties from Israel’s military operations in Gaza, claiming Dutch-supplied weapons were being used in the conflict.
“Israel is guilty of genocide and apartheid and is using Dutch weapons to wage war,” said the NGOs’ lawyer, Wout Albers.
The court’s decision followed a January directive from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) urging Israel to prevent acts of genocide in Gaza. However, the Dutch court concluded there was insufficient justification to implement a total ban on military exports to Israel.
Shawan Jabarin, the general director of Al-Haq, criticized the ruling as an “abominable injustice.” He stated, “The Netherlands has abandoned the most basic rules of international law, to prevent colonisation, annexation, apartheid and genocide.”
The ruling coincided with reports of an Israeli airstrike on a residential building in Gaza’s Nuseirat refugee camp on Thursday, which killed at least 40 Palestinians and injured dozens more, as reported by Al Jazeera.
Last month, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif. The ICC accuses them of crimes against humanity, including using “starvation as a method of warfare” by restricting humanitarian aid and intentionally targeting civilians during the Gaza conflict.
According to Gaza’s health ministry, at least 44,805 people have been killed in Gaza since October of last year due to the ongoing Israeli offensive.