On 10 October 2024, a coalition of Palestinian and Dutch NGOs announced a civil case challenging the conduct of the Dutch State in its dealings with Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

The organisations accuse the Dutch State of failing to uphold its legal obligations under international and domestic law, as it does not respect its obligations to prevent the commission of the crime of genocide and to address Israel’s violations of international humanitarian law. The case is filed by Palestinian human rights organisations Al Haq, Al-Mezan, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights, and Dutch NGOs Een Ander Joods Geluid (EAJG), European Legal Support Center (ELSC), Groningen Jabalya, Netherlands Palestina Komitee, SOMO, Stichting Kifaia, and Stichting Palestina, and is supported by Erev Rav and Plant een Olijfboom. The legal basis of this complaint are international law obligations including jus cogens, international humanitarian law, and the Genocide Convention. The case seeks disciplinary action against the Dutch State to align its policies with international law obligations. We request specific policy changes, such as:

Stopping the export of weapons, weapon components, and dual-use items to Israel, where they can be used in the commission of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity;

A halt to the exporting of service dogs from the Netherlands to Israel, where there is a  risk of these dogs being used in the commission of atrocity crimes;

Taking further actions to end all Dutch trade and investment relations that maintain Israel’s unlawful presence in the OPT.

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Uitspraak