Netherlands: A Dutch court has ordered the Netherlands government to stop supplying parts for the F-35 fighter jet used by Israel to bomb Gaza.
In its judgment, an appeals court stated that there is a “clear risk” that parts exported by the Netherlands will be used in “serious violations of international humanitarian law”.
According to the court, Israel may have used its F-35 to attack Gaza, leading to unacceptable civilian casualties. It rejected the Dutch government’s argument that the export permit did not require a fresh inspection.
Amnesty International, an international NGO focusing on human rights, and Oxfam, an NGO focusing on the alleviation of global poverty, appealed a lower court decision last year that rejected their claim that the distribution of the parts “contribute to wide-scale and serious violations of humanitarian law by Israel in Gaza”.
Human rights organizations have accused the government of complicity in war crimes by maintaining the deliveries. In December, the court dismissed the case stating that the state had a large degree of freedom in weighing political and policy issues regarding arms exports.
The appeals court, dismissed the case, which said political and economic concerns did not trump the clear risk of violations of the laws of war. The court instead asked the government to stop all exports of the fighter jet parts to Israel within seven days.
“It is undeniable that there is a clear risk that the exported F-35 parts are used in serious violations of international humanitarian law,” Judge Bas Boele remarked in the judgement, evoking cheers from people in the courtroom.
Israel has repeatedly denied allegations of war crimes during military operations in the enclave. However, in January the International Court of Justice called on Israel to protect any actions that could amount to genocide.
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