Overview
- the Hague Court of Appeal dismissed an appeal by 10 NGOs seeking to halt Dutch weapons sales and trade with Israeli settlements
- judges acknowledged the Netherlands’ duty under the Genocide Convention and noted a grave risk of genocide in Gaza but declined to order a blanket ban
- the court found the plaintiffs had not shown routine failures in export risk assessments, so remedial policy choices rest with the state
- the government says most arms exports to Israel are halted and only parts for defensive systems such as Iron Dome are allowed while discouraging business in occupied territories
- the court ordered the NGOs to pay legal costs, and the decision follows a Supreme Court ruling requiring the government to reevaluate a suspended licence for F-35 parts