Netherlands: Court rejects a lawsuit against arms exports to Israel

Netherlands: Court rejects a lawsuit against arms exports to Israel

Court rejects the lawsuit: the Netherlands can continue to export weapons to Israel!

"There is no reason to impose a total ban on exporting military and dual-use goods," said the court and rejected all claims from the plaintiffs. This decision comes at a time when the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip takes on dramatic dimensions after Israeli air strikes in the region have caused devastating destruction.

shocking civil victims and international allegations

The plaintiffs referred to the high civilian number of victims in Gaza, where at least 40 Palestinians were killed in an air raid on an residential building in a refugee camp. "Israel is guilty of genocide and apartheid," said Wout Albers, the lawyer of the NGOs, during the negotiations. He emphasized that Dutch weapons are used against the Palestinians in the war.

The NGOs referred to an order from the International Court of Justice, which asked Israel to prevent international negotiations in Gaza. According to the UN, it could be plausible that some of the rights protected by the Genocide Convention are withheld from the Palestinians. These allegations are in the context of a broader international discussion about the role of the Netherlands in this conflict.

reactions and possible appeal

The organizations concerned have already announced that they are reviewing the judgment and considering an appeal. Shawan Jabarin, the general director of Al-Haq, described the decision as "hideous injustice". "The Netherlands have given up the most basic rules of international law to prevent colonization, annexation, apartheid and genocide," he said.

The decision was made just one day after the devastating air raid in Gaza, which shines the international community again. The humanitarian situation has deteriorated dramatically because the UN reported that humanitarian aid in northern Gazas has been largely blocked for 66 days. Between 65,000 and 75,000 Palestinians have no access to food, water, electricity or medical care.

The offensive of Israel has killed at least 44,805 people in Gaza since October last year, the majority of them women and children. Amnesty International has accused Israel of committing "genocide" against the Palestinians, which is vehemently rejected by the Israeli government.