The Dutch legal battle over F-35 parts is a key chapter in the story of Europe’s fractured and often symbolic approach to arms sales to Israel since the start of the Gaza war. While some nations are taking a stand, the continent remains far from unified.
The Dutch case is particularly notable because it involves the judiciary forcing the government’s hand, a path that has led to the Supreme Court. The appeals court’s ban, even if the government claims it’s “meaningless,” is a powerful symbolic act. It reflects a deep societal and legal unease with the war’s conduct.
This move is part of a wider, albeit inconsistent, European trend. Slovenia took what it called a “first” for an EU member, banning all weapons trade with Israel in a clear, symbolic move. Spain announced it had halted arms sales in October 2023, while the U.K. government suspended some specific export licenses over concerns about their potential misuse.
However, these actions are not universal. Other major European arms exporters have been more hesitant to take such definitive steps, highlighting a lack of a unified EU policy on the matter. The continent is torn between its strategic ties to Israel, its relationship with the U.S., and the mounting pressure from human rights groups and the public over the catastrophic death toll in Gaza.
The court cases in the Netherlands, France, and Belgium show that where governments are slow to act, civil society is increasingly turning to the legal system to force a symbolic, if not always practical, stand against the arms trade.