ICC Rejects Request to Halt Arms Exports to Israel

A Dutch court on Friday rejected a request from 10 Palestinian-supporting NGOs to stop the Netherlands’ arms exports to Israel and prevent trade with Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, according to Reuters.

The International Criminal Court in The Hague confirmed that the state enjoys some freedom in its policies, and that courts should not rush to intervene. It stated in a statement, “The court concluded… that there is no reason to impose a complete ban on the export of military goods and dual-use items by the state.”

The petitioners argued that as a signatory of the 1948 Genocide Convention, the Netherlands is obligated to take all reasonable measures available to prevent genocide, citing significant civilian casualties in Israel’s war on Gaza.

The NGOs referred to a ruling issued by the International Court of Justice in January, which called on Israel to prevent acts of genocide in Gaza.

Israel claims that accusations of genocide in its campaign on Gaza are baseless and that it is targeting only Hamas and other armed groups that threaten its existence and hide among civilians, a claim denied by the groups.

The judges sided with the Dutch government, which stated that it continuously assesses the risk of exported weapons and dual-use goods being used by Israel in violation of international law, occasionally rejecting some exports.

In a separate ruling in February, a Dutch court ordered the government to stop all exports of fighter jet parts for the F-35 to Israel due to concerns they might be used in actions violating international law during the war in Gaza. The government appealed the ruling.