Denmark’s Supreme Court rejects arms exports to Israel case

Amid the escalating Middle Eastern arms race, Denmark’s Supreme Court has thrown out a lawsuit alleging the country was violating international law by exporting arms to Israel, according to The New Arab via AFP on March 18th.

The lawsuit was filed by Palestinian human rights association Al-Haq, ActionAid Denmark, and the Danish branches of Amnesty International and Oxfam against the Danish foreign ministry and the national police in 2024, which the lower court rejected in April 2025.

Following this rejection, the lawsuit was taken to the Supreme Court and alleged that by selling F-35 fighter jet components, which were equipped with parts from the Danish company Terma, to Israel, Denmark was violating international law amid Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza.

F-35 aircraft are built by Lockheed Martin, a US defence contractor that has faced scrutiny over its alleged complicity in war crimes in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Denmark is not the only European nation to reject allegations of complicity in war crimes over weapons shipments, as the British High Court ruled in June 2025 that British arms exports to Israel were lawful.

However, a Dutch court blocked the shipping of F-35 components to Israel in February 2024.

In October 2025, it was reported that Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, along with the head of the Italian-based Leonardo defence group, was referred to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged complicity in genocide against Palestinians.

Meloni’s Israeli counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu, is the subject of an ICC arrest warrant over his alleged involvement in the genocide of the Palestinian people.

Germany has continued signing cooperation pacts with Israel, despite partially suspending arms exports in August 2025 over Israeli plans to fully occupy Gaza.

Eurospike, a subsidiary of Israeli contractor Rafael, signed a deal in October 2025 to supply Germany’s military with anti-tank missiles.

Serbia’s arms exports to Israel have reached record levels since 2023, with ammunition sold to Ta’as Ma’arachot, a subsidiary of Israeli defence contractor Elbit Systems.

Elbit Systems specialises in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), electronic warfare systems and advanced artillery, and has advertised self-propelled artillery systems as “battle tested.”

Israel’s defence ties are not limited to Europe, as India and Morocco have also sought military cooperation with Israel, with Morocco also accepting US President Donald Trump’s invitation to join the “Board of Peace” in Gaza.

This is despite concerns over the Board’s lack of Palestinian representation, which some have argued undermines the Palestinians’ right to self-determination.

The New Arab via AFP, Maghrebi.org