Middle East: Dutch court ends bid to ban Israel arms sales

An appeals court in The Hague dismissed a case brought by 10 NGOs seeking to end all military equipment sales from Netherlands to Israel. The groups said the Dutch government was doing too little to stop what they called the “genocide” in Gaza and was engaging in a “clearly unlawful” foreign policy.

“While it is plausible that there is a risk of genocide and serious human rights violations, it is not, in principle, up to the court to prescribe to the State what measures must be taken to prevent this,” the judges wrote in a statement.

Israel has repeatedly denied the accusation that it is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.

The Dutch court also pointed to a number of measures already taken by the Dutch government to reduce its support of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, including a moratorium on the sale of equipment that they believe could be used in the Palestinian territory.

The latest figures from the Gaza Health Ministry, which the UN considers to be reliable, show that over 68,000 Palestinians, most of the civilians and including at least 20,000 children, have been killed due to Israeli strikes and other policies since Hamas-led attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023, that killed some 1,200 people. 

Pope Leo XIV met Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in person for the first time on Thursday, though the pair had spoken over the phone in the summer.

“During the cordial talks, it was recognized that there is an urgent need to provide assistance to the civilian population in Gaza and to end the conflict by pursuing a two-State solution,” the Holy See said in a statement.

Abbas made the visit to mark the 10th anniversary of the “Comprehensive Agreement between the Holy See and the State of Palestine,” which recognized Palestinian statehood on behalf of the Vatican in June 2015.

Before meeting with Leo, Abbas paid his respects at the tomb of pope’s predecessor, Francis. Abbas and Francis met several times and kept in regular contact over the phone throughout the two years of Israeli strikes on Gaza.

Israeli authorities have said that the most recent body of a hostage taken on October 7, 2023, to be returned was that of Tanzanian student Joshua Loitu Mollel.

Mollel, 21, had arrived at kibbutz Nahal Oz only 19 days before the Hamas attack. Having just finished an agricultural degree, he was hoping to gain some practical knowledge he could bring back to his home country.

“Joshua’s return offers some comfort to a family that has endured unbearable uncertainty for over two years,” the Hostages and Missing Families Forum Headquarters said in a statement.

The bodies of six hostages remain in Gaza. Their return is part of a US-backed ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.

A fragile ceasefire continues to hold between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, including the return of hostages’ bodies to Israel.

The new pope is meeting with a Palestinian delegation in the Vatican.

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