Netherlands: Appeals Court Rules Government Must Halt Export of F-35 Fighter Jet Parts to Israel

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – As Israel continues to battle Hamas in Gaza, a Dutch court of appeals has ruled that the Netherlands should cease exporting F-35 fighter jet parts to Israel on the grounds they might be used to violate international law, i24 News reports.

Israel has come under relentless condemnation from pro-Palestinian groups and leaders worldwide since the Oct. 7 genocidal attack on Israelis by Hamas triggered the current war in Gaza. Israel has consistently denied the allegations of war crimes leveled against it, referencing its efforts to avoid civilian casualties in seeking to destroy Hamas’ military capabilities that are intricately built into and under civilian infrastructure.

The Dutch case was brought by a number of human rights groups, including Oxfam, in December, i24 News reports. Overruling a lower court decision, the appeals panel decided the exported F-35 parts could be used in serious violations of international humanitarian law, specifying that F-35s could cause civilian casualties in Gaza. It also dismissed the Dutch government’s argument that it was not obligated to conduct a new assessment of the export permits.

The government is appealing the decision to the Netherlands’s Supreme Court, i24 News said. Dutch Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation Geoffrey van Leeuwen said in a statement: “The distribution of American F-35 parts is not unlawful…cooperation is important for the Netherlands’ own national security.”

The US has a regional warehouse of F-35 parts in the Netherlands. These parts are distributed to various countries as necessary upon request.

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