Dutch court blocks shipment of F-35 fighter jet parts to Israel
A Dutch court blocked arms exports from The Netherlands’ government to Israel on February 12 due to the state’s appalling human rights breaches, British news outlet The Independent reported.
The Dutch appeals court ordered the government to cease exporting US-owned F-35 fighter jet parts as they are used “in serious violations of international humanitarian law”.
Historically, the Lockheed Martin fighter planes have been used by Israel as communications suites and advanced sensors in Gaza and the West Bank from an elevated position.
The court asked the government to comply with the order within a seven-day period and threw out a request by the government’s lawyers to suspend the order during an appeal to the supreme court.
Despite a flurry of evidence from human rights organisations worldwide, Israel has repeatedly denied committing war crimes in Gaza, where nearly 29,000 have died, and have insisted they are doing everything to limit civilian deaths.
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Since the start of Israel’s war on the Palestinian enclave, human rights groups, pro-Palestine activists and lawyers within The Netherlands have pressured the government to stop its arms exports to Israel.
The case against the Dutch government was brought by various rights groups including the Dutch affiliate of Oxfam, an NGO founded in the UK with the goals of alleviating poverty worldwide and assisting those caught up in conflict.
Oxfam have argued that the shipments to Israel are “contributing to wide-scale and serious violations of humanitarian law”.
The court ruling comes amidst the European Union’s Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell pleading to Israeli allies, notably the US (the biggest ally of the Middle Eastern state globally), to stop arming the country as a full-blown invasion of the southern Gazan city of Rafah appears to be a likely outcome.
In a quip at President Biden, Borrell commented that Israel’s actions were “over the top” adding, “Well if you believe that too many people are being killed, maybe you should provide less arms in order to prevent so many people having been killed.”
Washington gives military aid to Israel to the tune of $3.3 billion per year.
The Independent/ Al Jazeera
