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Court orders Netherlands to stop supplying fighter jet parts to Israel

Israel's F-35 Lightning II fighter jet. (Photo: File/ AFP)

By Foreign Correspondent | 12 Feb 2024

The US-owned F-35 parts are stored at a warehouse in the Netherlands and then shipped to several partners, including Israel, via existing export agreements.

A Dutch court on Monday issued an order to halt the Netherlands' delivery of F=35 fighter jet parts used by Israel in its bombardment of the Gaza Strip.

The court upheld an appeal by human rights organisations, who sought to block the government from exporting the jet parts to Israel, arguing last December that the exports could make the Netherlands complicit in possible war crimes.

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"It is undeniable that there is a clear risk the exported F-35 parts are used in serious violations of international humanitarian law," it said on Monday.

The US-owned F-35 parts are stored at a warehouse in the Netherlands and then shipped to several partners, including Israel, via existing export agreements.

Dutch authorities have previously registered uncertainty regarding their ability to intervene in the deliveries, which are part of a US-led operation supplying parts to all F-35 partners.

Government lawyers also argued that if the Netherlands refrained from supplying the parts from their warehouse in the country, Israel could easily obtain them elsewhere.

Israel has consistently refuted accusations of committing war crimes during its military campaign in Gaza.

In January, the International Court of Justice urged Israel to take precautions regarding any actions in the enclave that could be construed as genocide.