Israeli arms firms banned from Dutch expo over Gaza war

Notorious Israeli arms contractors will be prohibited from attending a defence exhibition in the Netherlands due to take place later this year, amid wider international backlash against Israel's genocidal war on the Gaza Strip.

The likes of Elbit Systems, Rafael and Israeli Aerospace Industries will be excluded from an upcoming event in November at the NIDV Exhibition Defense & Security (NEDS) – the country’s largest showcase for the defence industry, according to Globes and Israeli reports on Wednesday, citing a letter handed out by the event's organisers.

In their letter, the organisers reportedly said the Israeli firms have been excluded due to "security and organisational reasons," without providing any further details.

The showcase, due to be held in Rotterdam and largely focused on the naval sector, is said to "offer official foreign delegations the opportunity to meet with key decision makers and exhibitors".

Israeli companies have reportedly participated in the event in previous years.

The decision comes amid a wider Dutch policy shift towards Israel, in light of the ongoing military onslaught and starvation campaign in the Gaza Strip, which has killed over 62,000 Palestinians and plunged the territory into a catastrophic humanitarian crisis.

The Netherlands, like several other European Union nations, has grown increasingly critical of Israel’s conduct as the war has progressed, and has imposed measures limiting its relations with Tel Aviv.

In April this year, the Dutch government said it had tightened export controls for all military and 'dual-use' goods destined for Israel.

The new measure entailed ensuring all exports and transit of goods to Israel will be checked to see if they comply with European regulations, and will no longer be covered by regular export licenses.

Additionally, a Dutch court ordered the Netherlands in February last year to halt F-35 fighter jet deliveries to Israel, which are used by the military to carry to shell on Gaza.

The Netherlands has also sought to impose economic sanctions on Israel after Foreign Minister Caspar Velkamp backed a legal review of the EU Association Agreement with Israel, whose findings stated that Israel violated the human rights requirement of the deal.

Similarly, French authorities sealed off Israeli weapons industry booths at the Paris Air Show in June, amid Israel's bombardments of both Gaza and Iran.

The booths displayed "offensive weapons" that could be used in Gaza - in violation of agreements with Israeli authorities, officials said at the time.