Dutch activists look to block sale of F-35 parts to Israel

Anti-Israel attorneys in The Netherlands turn to The Hague to prevent sale of parts for advanced fighter jets to Israel.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Activist Dutch lawyers have sought an injunction to forbid the sale of F-35 parts to Israel to avoid involvement in so-called “war crimes” in Gaza.

The civil case at The Hague centers around the sale of parts for fighter planes as the IDF has restarted its military campaign in Gaza to achieve its stated goal of eliminating the terror group Hamas.

After a week-long pause in fighting that saw the release of 110 hostages, Israel renewed its incursion into Gaza first launched after Hamas invaded Israel, slaughtered 1,200, and took 240 hostages on October 7th.

The Hamas-Israel conflict has given rise to many anti-Israel protests calling for an unconditional and immediate ceasefire and accusing the IDF of causing the deaths of 15,200 Gazans, a number released by Hamas’ Ministry of Health and has not been verified by a third-party organization.

Human rights lawyers from The Netherlands have petitioned The Hague to prevent F-35 parts stored in a warehouse in Woensdrecht from reaching Israel.

“The state must immediately stop the delivery of F-35 parts to Israel,” lawyer Liesbeth Zegveld told the court.

Zegveld tried to bolster her case by pointing out that Dutch customs consulted the government soon after October 7th concerning whether they should ship military equipment.

“The warning that the fighter jets can contribute to serious breaches of the laws of war does not, for the (Dutch) state, outweigh its economic interests and diplomatic reputation.”

In opposition, Dutch government lawyer, Reimer Veldhuis, pointed out that even if there were valid governments for the injunction, the result would be the same because “the United States would deliver these parts to Israel from another place.”

Veldhuis emphasized that Israel has the right to defend itself within the framework of “international law.”

He concluded that “the government believes that a clear risk of serious breaches (of international law) through the use of F-35s cannot at the moment be established.”

A major defender of Israel in the Dutch government is Geert Wilders, head of the Freedom Party (PVV) which swept a recent legislative election.

A few weeks ago, he tweeted, “Jordan is Palestine,” in a controversial post that was condemned by Arab leaders.

Dutch-Israel relationsF-35gaza warThe Hague