Dutch Defense Ministry hid purchase of Israeli weapons from parliament

Late last month, the Ministry of Defense convinced the Dutch parliament to extend its budget so that it can purchase additional equipment to combat drones, following multiple drone sightings at Dutch and other European airfields. What caretaker Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans (VVD) and State Secretary Gijs Tuinman (BBB) failed to mention was that one of their suppliers is the Israeli company Smartshooter, NRC discovered.

The Netherlands has often purchased weapons from Israel, to the amount of approximately €1.5 billion over the past five years. But since the war in Gaza and the mounting evidence that Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinians, these arms purchases have become much more sensitive.

GroenLinks-PvdA parliamentarian Kati Piri has demanded clarification from the Ministry of Defense. The left-wing party’s support for the supplementary budget is dependent on whether the government is using the money to buy weapons from Israel, according to the newspaper.

The weapon involved is the Smash 3000, a specialized sight for shooting down drones, made by the Israeli company Smarthsooter that also supplies the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). NRC investigated the Smash system and discovered that the Ministry of Defense has been testing it since 2020.

The first mention of the system to parliament is in a letter on 19 December 2024 - over a year after Israel's ruthless bombardment of Gaza started and after South Africa had filed a genocide case against the country with the International Court of Justice. The fact that the Smash 3000 comes from an Israeli company did not come up.

This autumn, the Ministry decided it needed more Smash 3000 systems, given the increasing unidentified drone activity in Europe. Before the budget debate with parliament on November 26, State Secretary Tuinman announced this in veiled terms, but again without mentioning the Israeli origins.

NRC asked the Ministry about this and was told that “due to its negotiating position,” Defense would make no statements about suppliers until the contracts are signed.

“In light of the current geopolitical situation,” the Ministry also considers it “unwise to share certain military information publicly.”