A Dutch appeals court has ordered the government to block the delivery of F-35 fighter jet parts to Israel, saying they could violate international law.
The court sided with human rights groups who argued that parts supplied from a Dutch warehouse contributed to Israeli law violations in Gaza. Israel denies war crimes. The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry has announced that more than 28,100 Palestinians have been killed in just over four months.Israel launched an operation in Gaza after Hamas killed around 1,200 people and took 253 hostages on October 7.
It cannot be denied that there is a clear risk that exported F-35 parts will be used in serious violations of international humanitarian law,'' the Court of Appeal in The Hague said. Israel has not adequately considered the impact of its attacks on civilians,” the court added.
The Dutch government must comply with the order within seven days, but may appeal to the Supreme Court. The lawsuit was filed in December by multiple parties, including Oxfam’s Dutch subsidiary. This was done after the Dutch government decided that it could maintain its license to export F-35 parts to Israel despite Israel’s siege of Gaza.
A lower court previously ruled that the export of the F-35 was primarily a political decision and that judges should not intervene, although the F-35 likely contributed to violations of the laws of war. was under way .U.S. F-35 parts are stored in warehouses in the Netherlands before being shipped to other countries, including Israel.
In a separate case, the United Nations Supreme Court last month ordered Israel to take all measures to prevent genocide in Gaza.
The judgment by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague comes after South Africa asked the court to order Israel to immediately cease military operations pending a decision on whether Israel committed genocide. was served.
Israel rejected the accusations as “totally baseless.”