A group of NGOs intends to sue the Danish state to cease all arms exports to Israel, citing possible complicity in violations of international humanitarian law.
Four NGOs have said they will take legal action against Denmark to stop the country’s exports of weapons and military equipment to Israel.
Amnesty International Denmark, Oxfam Denmark, MS Action Aid and the Palestinian human rights organization Al-Haq said they will file a lawsuit against the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Danish National Police within the next three weeks.
With the lawsuit, the organizations “want the courts to assess whether the exports violate the rules on arms trade to which Denmark has committed itself,” Amnesty International said in a statement on Tuesday.
On Hypocrisy and Genocide – How Gaza Has Exposed the West Like Never Before
“For five months we have been talking about a potential genocide in Gaza, but we have not seen politicians take action,” stated Tim Whyte, Secretary General of MS Action Aid.
Whyte said 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.”
International Law Violations
Denmark has joined both the UN Arms Trade Treaty and the EU Common Rules for Arms Exports, which obliges Denmark to ensure that exports of weapons and military equipment from Danish companies do not risk contributing to violations of international law, the statement said.
“We have documented several Israeli bombings in Gaza that do not distinguish between civilian and military targets and wipe out entire families. The attacks are disproportionate and in violation of the rules of war,” said Vibe Klarup, Secretary General of Amnesty International Denmark.
Klarup said 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.”
‘Violations of Intl. Law’ – Dutch Court Bans Delivery of Fighter Jet Parts to Israel
The risk of military equipment being used in violation of the rules of war alone should make the Danish state stop the export in accordance with international law, according to the organizations.
In February, a Dutch court ordered the Netherlands to halt all exports of F-35 fighter jet parts to Israel, after a court upheld an appeal from human rights organizations who argued that supplying the parts contributed to “violations of international law by Israel.”
Staggering Death Toll
Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7.
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 31,272 Palestinians have been killed, and 73,244 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7.
Moreover, at least 7,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.
Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.
The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.
Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire.’
(The Palestine Chronicle)
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