On Tuesday, a majority in the Danish parliament rejected a popular demand to pass a resolution requiring Denmark to halt all direct and indirect arms trade with Israel, including cooperation on the F-35 aircraft.
The proposal garnered more than 50,000 signatures from Danish citizens in less than two days, which qualified it for parliamentary debate and voting.
The parties that voted in favor of the popular demand are Alternativet, Enhedslisten, and Radikale Venstre.
While the three ruling parties (Social Democrat, Liberal Venstre, and Moderates) and the remaining parliamentary parties, namely the SF, Liberal Alliance, Conservatives, Danmarksdemokraterne, and the Danish People's Party, voted against the popular demand, meaning they chose to continue Danish arms trade with Israel, including the supply of F-35 fighter jet parts.
This is despite the fact that, at the European level, a majority of EU member states have agreed to consider the possibility of suspending the EU-Israel Association Agreement.
Despite Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen's statements about Gaza, saying, "The humanitarian situation in Gaza is unacceptable. There are far too many children affected. Food cannot enter, medical aid is unavailable, and preventing humanitarian assistance is wrong and will continue to be wrong," and similar statements from Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, they voted against the popular demand to halt arms exports from Danish companies to Israel.
According to DR, Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen stated: “This is primarily due to the fact that the Foreign Ministry has already tightened its approach to arms exports to Israel, and we are following a very restrictive approach. The assessment is that Denmark’s approach to export control, even when it comes to the F-35 program, is in line with Denmark’s legal and international obligations to the European Union. The same applies to the legal framework for dealing with spare parts for US-owned F-35 aircraft.”.
Legal background to Danish arms exports to Israel
According to human rights organizations, Denmark's arms exports to regions where genocide or serious violations of international humanitarian law are likely to occur are illegal under Denmark's international obligations. Denmark is bound by the UN Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) and the EU Common Rules on Arms Exports, which require member states not to export weapons if there is a "clear risk" they will be used to commit war crimes or serious human rights violations.
In March 2024, human rights organizations, including Amnesty International Denmark, Oxfam Denmark, ActionAid Denmark, and the Palestinian human rights organization Al-Haq, filed a lawsuit against the Danish state to halt arms exports to Israel. The lawsuit argued that there was a clear risk that Danish weapons and military equipment would be used to commit serious crimes against civilians in Gaza, in violation of international law. .
Nevertheless, the Danish court dismissed the lawsuit in April 2025, arguing that the plaintiff organizations did not have a direct and individual legal interest that would allow them to bring the case. The organizations announced their intention to appeal the decision to the Danish Supreme Court.
Legally speaking, exporting weapons to areas where genocide is likely to occur is illegal under Denmark’s international obligations. However, the practical application of these laws may face legal and political challenges, as demonstrated by the aforementioned case.
Political statements and positions
In January 2024, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen told the parliament’s foreign affairs committee that 15 Danish companies were involved in supplying components for F-35 aircraft, which are used in bombing operations in Gaza, according to Amnesty International Denmark.
In May 2024, Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen stated that the new defense agreement did not prevent Denmark from purchasing an air defense system from Israel. However, political parties such as the Venstre Radical Party expressed reservations, arguing that the agreement made it “extremely difficult” to purchase an Israeli system due to NATO compatibility requirements.
In August 2024, Amnesty International expressed its dismay at the Danish government's attempt to avoid the case going to court, arguing that this was contrary to Danish traditions of respecting human rights.
international pressure
In February 2025, more than 230 international organizations, including Human Rights Watch and Oxfam, called on countries that produce F-35 aircraft to stop supplying them to Israel, due to concerns that they would be used in violations of international law.
In September 2024, Britain suspended some arms export licenses to Israel after an internal review showed that Israel had failed to meet its obligations as an occupying power to ensure the provision of basic supplies to the people of Gaza.
