NGOs to sue Denmark to end arms exports to Israel over Gaza atrocities

By Leila Nezirevic

LONDON (AA) - A group of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) announced Tuesday that they will sue Denmark in an effort to end the country's arms exports to Israel, citing concerns that its weapons and military equipment are being used to commit serious crimes against civilians in Gaza.

Amnesty International Denmark, Oxfam Denmark, MS Action Aid and the Palestinian human rights organization Al-Haq in a joint statement said they will file a lawsuit against the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Danish National Police within the next three weeks.

Denmark violates international rules on arms trade and risks becoming complicit in violations of international humanitarian law – “including war crimes – and a plausible genocide,” according to Amnesty.

“For five months, we have been talking about a potential genocide in Gaza, but we have not seen politicians take action,” Tim Whyte, secretary general of Mellemfolkeligt Samvirke, one of the organizations behind the lawsuit, said in a statement.

“Denmark should not be sending weapons to Israel when there is a reasonable suspicion that it is committing war crimes in Gaza. We need to get the court’s word on Denmark’s responsibility,” Whyte added.

Israel has waged a retaliatory offensive on Gaza since a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7 last year which killed nearly 1,200 people.

The offensive has killed around 31,200 Palestinians and injured over 72,900 others amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

“We have documented several Israeli bombings in Gaza that do not distinguish between civilian and military targets and wipe out entire families,” said Vibe Klarup, secretary general of Amnesty International Denmark.

“The attacks are disproportionate and in violation of the rules of war. Denmark must in no way contribute to making these illegal attacks on civilians possible.

“Therefore, we now want the court to assess whether Denmark fulfils its obligations,” she added.

A Dutch court in February ordered the Netherlands to halt all exports of F-35 fighter jet parts to Israel, citing a clear risk of violations of international law.

In January, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that it is plausible that Israel could be committing acts of genocide against Palestinians. However, at the same time, it failed to order a cease-fire as requested by South Africa.

In February, UN experts called for an arms embargo on Israel, arguing that any sale and supply of weapons used in Gaza is likely to violate international humanitarian law and must cease immediately.

Denmark is a member of the UN Arms Trade Treaty and EU Common Rules for Arms Exports which obliges it to ensure that exports of weapons and military equipment from Danish companies do not risk contributing to violations of international law.