6 parties in the Netherlands opposed the joint arms production plan with the Israeli company

DENK Party's Tilburg Municipal Council Group Chairman Can Bayrakçı stated in his statement on his party's social media account that they were surprised by the news that a Tilburg-based company would produce Israeli weapons.

Bayrakçı said, "While we see what is happening in Gaza, we cannot accept this. Tilburg can never be an extension of the Israeli arms industry. We are drawing a clear line here." he said.

For this reason, Bayrakçı stated that they submitted a parliamentary question to the municipality regarding the arms production partnership in question, together with PRO, Party for Animals (PvdD), Socialist Party (SP), VoorTilburg013 and Ons Tilburg parties, and said that they wanted to learn the scope of the cooperation and what the municipality could do against it.

Stating that they will meet with other parties to bring the issue to the political agenda, Bayrakçı said, "Tilburg can never be a place where human rights are violated." he said.

Israeli arms manufacturer IWI switches to local production in the Netherlands

Israel Weapon Industries (IWI), the main arms supplier of the Israeli army, announced that it plans to produce and assemble weapons in the Netherlands in cooperation with the Dutch defense company Artillerie Inrichtingen Armaments (AIA).

According to the joint statement of the two companies, AIA will produce and assemble IWI's ARAD 5 infantry rifle and NEGEV UX light machine gun in the factory to be established in the Netherlands.

Within the framework of the planned collaboration, IWI will provide technology, product expertise and production know-how. AIA will establish the production facility in the Netherlands and create the necessary infrastructure for the delivery and technical support of the products.

In the statement, it was stated that the cooperation will form the basis for long-term domestic production in the Netherlands, technical expertise and support throughout the lifecycle of the products, and the defense industry infrastructure of the Netherlands will be strengthened by moving production within the country.

IWI, part of SK Group, is the main supplier of the Israeli army and Israeli police. The company's products are used by military and law enforcement units and special forces in more than 60 countries. The company, known for its weapons such as UZI, TAVOR and NEGEV, is among the main producers of light weapons used in Israel's attacks on Gaza.

Defense cooperation despite tense relations

The Dutch government banned the import and trade of goods produced in illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied territories for 3 years, starting from September 22. As a reaction to this decision, Israel decided to deport two Dutch officials working at the US-supported center coordinating the ceasefire in Gaza in August.

Following the Supreme Court's decision in October 2025, the Netherlands announced that it was not reasonable to restart F-35 fighter jet parts exports to Israel under current conditions.

The statement came just a few days after the fourth "Red Line" demonstration, held in the capital Amsterdam on November 8 and attended by more than 200 thousand people, according to organizers. The 13 organizations that organized the demonstration demanded that the Dutch government end all direct and indirect arms trade and military cooperation with Israel, including imports.