Pro-Palestinian organizations have taken the Dutch state to court, urging a halt to arms exports to Israel and accusing the government of failing to prevent what they described as a “genocide” in Gaza. They argue that the Netherlands, a staunch ally of Israel, has a legal obligation to prevent violations of international law and the 1948 United Nations Genocide Convention in the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank.
“Israel is guilty of genocide and apartheid” and “is using Dutch weapons to wage war, ” said Wout Albers, a lawyer representing the coalition, at a civil court in The Hague on Friday. The plaintiffs are a coalition of Dutch and Palestinian organizations working to protect human rights in Palestinian territory, including three groups based in Palestine.