Six Dutch parties condemn local arms company’s deal with Israeli gunmaker

Six Dutch parties condemn local arms company’s deal with Israeli gunmaker

Submitted by Elis Gjevori on Thu, 11/12/2026 - 12:08 The dispute comes after Dutch MPs called for an end to dependence on Israel’s arms industry A visitor holds a weapon from Israel Weapon Industries at the Eurosatory international defence trade fair, in Villepinte, Paris, on 13 June 2022 (Emmanuel Dunand/AFP) Off

Six political parties in the Dutch city of Tilburg have condemned a local arms company’s deal with Israeli gunmaker Israel Weapon Industries (IWI).

The parties have asked the municipal authorities whether they can prevent weapons produced under the agreement from reaching Israel’s military and whether they can block local production.

Tilburg-based AIA bought designs and technical know-how from IWI and plans to make rifles and light machine guns at an industrial park in the city.

The agreement covers the Arad 5 infantry rifle and the Negev UX light machine gun. Production will initially take place in Tilburg before moving to a larger site in Overijssel, according to Dutch broadcaster Omroep Brabant.

AIA says that it intends to supply European countries and other Nato partners. It remains unclear whether the company could also sell the weapons to Israel.

D66, PRO, Denk, the Party for the Animals, the Socialist Party and VoorTilburg013 submitted questions to the municipal administration.

In a statement, D66 councillor Sofia Schampers said: “We refuse to stand tacitly by while Tilburg potentially contributes to the genocide of the Palestinian people.”

'We refuse to stand tacitly by while Tilburg potentially contributes to the genocide of the Palestinian people'

- Sofia Schampers, D66 councillor

D66 said its concerns stemmed partly from Israel’s participation in Nato’s Mediterranean Dialogue, which makes it a partner of the alliance.

The party wants the municipality to do everything within its powers to prevent local production if the weapons could be exported to Israel.

The party said that while the European defence industry needs to produce arms because of increased geopolitical risks, the deal with the Israeli company was a “moral blunder”.

The parties cited Israel’s war on Gaza and the situation in the occupied West Bank in opposing the deal.

The parties support Europe’s ability to defend itself and say their objection concerns AIA’s ties with Israel's IWI.

'Simply a business transaction'

Five of the parties also asked whether AIA has permission to make firearms in Tilburg, whether the municipality could revoke any authorisation and whether IWI would continue to earn money from the weapons AIA produces.

AIA director Gerard Zondervan defended the deal in an interview with Dutch public broadcaster NOS. “It is simply a business transaction. I am not going to get involved in politics, otherwise nothing will happen.”

More than 200,000 join Amsterdam march against Gaza genocide Read More »

Zondervan said Europe should produce more of its own weapons to reduce its reliance on other countries. Tilburg’s municipal administration has yet to answer the parties’ questions.

In January, Dutch MPs passed a motion urging the government to phase out the country’s dependence on Israel’s arms industry.

The motion put Dutch purchases of military equipment from Israeli firms at €2 billion in recent years and argued against relying on military industries “involved in war crimes”.

On Sunday 8 November, more than 200,000 people marched through Amsterdam, according to Amnesty International’s Dutch branch, one of the organisers.

Many wore red for the Red Line protest, demanding that the Dutch government end arms sales to Israel and impose tougher trade sanctions over its genocide in Gaza.

Campaigners called on the Netherlands to formally recognise Israel’s actions in Gaza as genocide and denounced Israeli apartheid in the occupied West Bank.

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