‘Israel’ banned from largest defense exhibition in Netherlands: report

‘Israeli’ defense companies will not be permitted to participate in the Netherlands’ largest military exhibition, the NIDV Exhibition for Defense & Security (NEDS), according to ‘Israeli’ officials speaking to “Globes”, an ‘Israeli’ business daily.

The event, scheduled for November 2025 in Rotterdam, has in past years hosted major ‘Israeli’ defense contractors, including Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), Elbit Systems, and Rafael Advanced Defense Systems.

While the organizers of the NEDS exhibition cited “security issues and organizational difficulties” in a letter to the affected companies, the decision is widely reported to be linked to the ongoing conflict in Gaza and a broader shift in Dutch policy toward ‘Israel’.

The move follows a similar ban on ‘Israeli’ companies at the French Eurosatory arms exhibition in June 2025.

The exclusion of ‘Israeli’ firms is the latest in a series of actions taken by the Netherlands.

Months after the start of the war in Gaza, a Dutch court ruling halted direct exports of F-35 fighter jet parts to ‘Israel’.

More recently, the Dutch government supported a legal review of the EU Association Agreement with ‘Israel’, which found “indications” that human rights requirements had been violated.

Additionally, the Dutch government has banned two far-right ‘Israeli’ ministers, Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, from entering the country, and the Dutch counterterrorism agency has listed ‘Israel’ as a foreign security threat for the first time.