Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza
Court cases are piling up in Europe as many NGOs take the unprecedented step of suing governments over weapons exports to Israel and accusations that it may have committed war crimes in Gaza or perpetrated genocide – claims Israel refutes.
A recent decision by a Dutch court to order the government to cease the export of F-35 parts to Israel prompted similar lawsuits in Denmark last month and in France this week.
The Dutch government has appealed against the decision, which will be heard by the Supreme Court this year.
“We are very much inspired by the Dutch court case,” said Lars Koch, secretary general of Oxfam Denmark, one of the four NGOs involved in the lawsuit filed against the Danish police and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“We hope for a further copycat effect,” Mr Koch told The National.
France promptly followed suit as eight NGOs, including Amnesty International, on Thursday filed a summon for urgent proceedings at the administrative court of Paris.
The judge has 48 hours to respond to their request to cancel weapons exports to Israel over the risk that the Israeli military might use them to commit war crimes in Gaza.
Aymeric Elluin, arms transfers advocacy officer at Amnesty International France, said he expects an answer early next week.
“It's an unprecedented request, so the response from the judge is really uncertain at this stage,” Mr Elluin told The National.
“The idea is to create a domino effect. If a country responds positively, judges in other countries will be watching closely.”
Israel-Gaza war – in pictures
Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu has sought to play down the importance of French weapons exports to Israel.
In 2022, they represented €15 million ($16 million) – the equivalent of 0.2 per cent of all of France's weapons sales abroad that year.
“No licence will be granted to Israel for weapons of war that would be used in ground operations in Gaza,” Mr Lecornu said last month.
In the Danish legal system, the judge will take three to six months to decide whether exports of arms to Israel must be immediately suspended due to risks of war crimes and breaches of international humanitarian law.
It is likely that no suspension will be ordered while the court case is running, Mr Koch said.
More oversight
The world's highest court, the International Court of Justice, found on January 26 that there was a “plausible” risk of genocide in the enclave, where at least 33,634 Palestinians have been killed and 76,214 injured since October 7.
The Israeli military operation on Gaza was sparked by a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel, in which 1,200 people were killed and 253 taken hostage. About 130 are still held in Gaza, according to Israel.
In Denmark and France, court cases could take years. But for those involved, the result is less important than encouraging a public debate on the issue of arms transfers to Israel as soon as the lawsuit is filed.
Other initiatives to increase pressure on Israel at European level include an Irish and Spanish request to the EU Commission, the bloc's executive arm, to review a trade agreement due to fears that the human rights clause has been violated.
There has been so far no response to the request made in February. The bloc is divided over the conflict, which reduces its diplomatic influence.
UN expert says Israel has committed genocide in Gaza – video
Germany, the largest weapons exporter to Israel after the US, is a leading EU state and an ally of Israel.
But court cases have also piled up in Berlin as human rights lawyers on Friday filed a lawsuit against a German government decision to approve the export of 3,000 anti-tank weapons to Israel, the second case of its kind this month.
For activists, it is important that small EU countries like Denmark contribute to upholding the rules-based order.
“We are also using the court case for our continuing campaigning for a ceasefire and immediately end arms exports to Israel,” said Mr Koch.
“We have seen some progress in this,” added Mr Koch, pointing at a March 15 parliamentary committee hearing in which the Foreign Affairs Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said that the ministry's analysis of whether it would accept licences for weapons export would become more stringent.
Oxfam Denmark launched a crowdfunding campaign on the same day it announced the lawsuit on March 3 to cover its legal costs. It has so far raised 1.5 million DKK ($210,000) from private donors.
Some 15 Danish companies supply components for F-35 fighter jets that are exported to the US and then onwards to third countries including Israel. “We claim that you cannot export your responsibility over the end use of the weapons,” said Mr Koch.
In the UK, the high court dismissed in February a legal challenge against the UK department for Business and Trade launched over similar concerns of possible involvement in breaches of international humanitarian law.
The lawsuit was filed by two NGOs including Palestinian human rights organisation Al Haq, which is also involved in the Danish case.
But activists hope the dismissal might be reversed at a hearing later this month, allowing the case to go forward.
“It is fairly standard in British courts that judges turn a case down, and then another judge lets it go ahead,” said Martin Butcher, policy adviser on arms and conflict with Oxfam International.
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Tips for used car buyers
- Choose cars with GCC specifications
- Get a service history for cars less than five years old
- Don’t go cheap on the inspection
- Check for oil leaks
- Do a Google search on the standard problems for your car model
- Do your due diligence. Get a transfer of ownership done at an official RTA centre
- Check the vehicle’s condition. You don’t want to buy a car that’s a good deal but ends up costing you Dh10,000 in repairs every month
- Validate warranty and service contracts with the relevant agency and and make sure they are valid when ownership is transferred
- If you are planning to sell the car soon, buy one with a good resale value. The two most popular cars in the UAE are black or white in colour and other colours are harder to sell
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Dobromir Radichkov, chief data officer at dubizzle and Bayut, offers a few tips for UAE residents looking to earn some cash from pre-loved items.
- Sellers should focus on providing high-quality used goods at attractive prices to buyers.
- It’s important to use clear and appealing photos, with catchy titles and detailed descriptions to capture the attention of prospective buyers.
- Try to advertise a realistic price to attract buyers looking for good deals, especially in the current environment where consumers are significantly more price-sensitive.
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Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
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Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
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Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
