Dutch shipments of F-35 fighter jet parts to Israel can continue, court says

0
3KB

A Dutch court on Friday dismissed demands by human rights groups to block the Dutch government from exporting F-35 fighter jet parts to Israel, which they said were enabling war crimes in the besieged Gaza Strip.

The Danish Minister of Defense receives the first F-35 fighter jets.

Judges at the District Court in The Hague said they must leave the Dutch government a large degree of freedom when it comes to weighing political and policy issues in deciding on arms exports.

The rights groups, which included the Dutch affiliate of Oxfam, said in their claim that Israel was using F-35 planes for which the Netherlands supplied spare parts in large-scale bombing attacks in Gaza that may constitute war crimes.

In the first ruling on arms exports to Israel by a court worldwide since Palestinian militant group Hamas's Oct. 7 attacks sparked war, the Dutch judges found it was likely that F-35s contributed to alleged violations of the laws of war.

"To everyone who has seen the images of the armed conflict, reads the news coverage about them and hears the comments of Israeli ministers about the Israeli reaction to the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks, it seems evident that there are violations of humanitarian law," the verdict said.

Israel denies committing war crimes in its attacks on Gaza, which followed the Hamas cross-border raid on southern Israel on Oct. 7 in which 1,200 Israelis were killed and around 240 were taken hostage.

A spokesperson for the Israeli foreign ministry told Reuters Friday it does not comment on internal Dutch proceedings.

Lawyers for the rights groups said they would almost certainly appeal against the court decision.

"We were successful in the sense that the claims by the state that there were no violations in Gaza, or we can't assess that, has been wiped off the table and (the finding) that the F-35 is used in the war is extremely important," lawyer Liesbeth Zegveld told Reuters.

The Netherlands houses one of several regional warehouses of U.S.-owned F-35 parts which are then distributed to countries that request them, including Israel in at least one shipment since the Oct. 7 attacks.

While the judges said it was likely that F-35s contributed to possible war crimes, they added that under the terms of the arms export permit they could only rule on the question of whether the government had made a reasonable assessment in allowing exports to continue and said there was no scope for a judge to intervene.

Since the Oct. 7 attacks Israeli forces have laid much of Gaza to waste, with nearly 19,000 people confirmed dead, according to Palestinian health officials, and thousands more feared buried under the rubble.

Commandité
Rechercher
Commandité
Catégories
Lire la suite
Autre
How to Handle Furniture Removals
Moving furniture can be a daunting task, whether you're relocating to a new home or simply...
Par emonkofi 2025-07-15 06:25:00 0 904
Autre
Top Benefits of Subscription-Based Prescription Services for Chronic Illness Management
Managing a chronic condition requires consistent and careful attention, especially when it comes...
Par happyfamilyrx 2025-09-25 08:11:30 0 245
Autre
Fajartoto: Your Trusted Platform for Online Gaming and Lottery
In recent years, online gaming has become increasingly popular as people seek convenient ways to...
Par jamaswilliam 2024-11-09 18:15:40 0 2KB
Health and Wellness
Buy Farmapram 2mg OnlineBuy Farmapram 2mg Online
Farmapram 2mg Online ( alprazolam ) Farmapram 2mg is a Mexican medication similar to Xanax....
Par discreetpeoplepharm 2025-02-11 10:27:17 0 2KB
Networking
Paper Cup Market Size Anticipated to Observe Growth at a Steady Rate of 3.10% for the Study Period 2023-2030
Data Bridge Market Research analyses that the paper cup market is expected to reach USD 13.55...
Par datam 2023-06-23 09:37:46 0 6KB
Commandité
google-site-verification: google037b30823fc02426.html