THE HAGUE, Netherlands — A Dutch court has dismissed a request from human rights organizations seeking to halt the export of arms to Israel and trade activities with the occupied territories. The court determined that adequate measures are already in place to adhere to international laws regarding these matters.
Last month, a coalition of ten groups presented their case to The Hague District Court, arguing that the Netherlands was breaching the 1948 Genocide Convention, a legal document established post-World War II, due to its ongoing arms sales to Israel amid a prolonged conflict.
Ahmed Abofoul, a legal advisor for Al-Haq, a pro-Palestinian organization involved in the case, expressed deep personal anguish during the court proceedings, stating, “The government uses my own tax money, that I pay, to kill my own family. I’ve lost 18 members of my own family.”
In a recent escalation of violence, an Israeli airstrike reportedly killed at least 25 Palestinians and injured many others. This attack targeted a multiple-story residential structure in the Nuseirat refugee camp and was part of an ongoing series of Israeli military operations across Gaza.
The judges asserted that it is not within their purview to mandate the government to reevaluate its foreign policy, noting that this primarily falls under political accountability. The government’s legal representatives also contended that it is inappropriate for a judiciary to dictate the Netherlands’ foreign affairs.
The activist groups referenced findings from the International Court of Justice, which, they argue, underscore the obligation to cease arms sales to Israel. In January, this leading U.N. court concluded that there is credible reason to suspect that certain rights of Palestinians, as protected by the Genocide Convention, were being violated.
The coalition plans to analyze the ruling further and is contemplating an appeal against the decision.
In a related development, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants earlier this month for Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, former defense minister Yoav Gallant, and the military chief of Hamas, citing accusations of crimes against humanity amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
These warrants allege that both Netanyahu and Gallant have employed “starvation as a method of warfare” by limiting humanitarian aid and have deliberately targeted civilians in their operations against Hamas—claims that Israeli authorities refute.
Moreover, the United Nations reported this week that humanitarian aid to northern Gaza has remained largely halted for the preceding 66 days, leaving approximately 65,000 to 75,000 Palestinians without essential resources such as food, water, electricity, or healthcare.