CIVICUS speaks with Jo Dirix, a campaigner with Vredesactie (Peace Action), a Belgium peace and disarmament civil society organisation (CSO) that successfully took the Flemish government to court over arms shipments to Israel.
On 17 July, the Brussels Court of First Instance ordered the Flemish government to halt all military and dual‑use shipments to Israel via the port of Antwerp. Four Belgian CSOs including Vredesactie brought the case after they discovered containers with military components bound for Israeli suppliers, which they argued breached Belgium’s obligations under the Genocide Convention. The ruling adds pressure on Belgium and the European Union (EU) to enforce arms embargoes on Israel.
