The Palestinian human rights association Al-Haq, ActionAid Denmark, and the Danish branches of Amnesty International and Oxfam had filed a lawsuit against the Danish foreign ministry and national police, which a lower court rejected in April 2025.

They took their case to the Supreme Court, alleging that Denmark violated its international commitments by selling Israel parts for F-35 jet fighters, given what an Amnesty representative called Israel's "war crimes and genocide" in the Gaza Strip.

The court was called upon to solely address the question of whether the organisations were entitled to test the legality of Denmark's arms sales in the courts.

"The Supreme Court finds that associations that are not themselves specifically and individually affected by the issues that are to be adjudicated ... can only be considered to have a legal interest if special circumstances warrant this," it said in a statement.

The court said the organisations had not presented any grounds justifying special circumstances.

"Under the UN arms trade treaty and the UN common position on arms exports, states must deny an export license if there is a clear, overriding risk that this equipment could be used to commit serious violations of international humanitarian law," Dina Hashem, an Amnesty representative in Denmark, told AFP ahead of the ruling.

"And that risk is clearly present in Gaza."

Danish media Danwatch and Information revealed in 2023 that Israel's F-35s were equipped with parts made by Danish company Terma.

The four organisations filed their lawsuit in March 2024, on the heels of a similar suit filed in the Netherlands by a coalition of humanitarian organisations.

A Dutch court in December 2024 rejected demands by pro-Palestinian groups for a total ban on exporting goods to Israel that can be used for military means.

The court ruled the government was respecting rules governing the country's arms trade.