THE HAGUE: The Netherlands confronted a legal challenge on Monday amid accusations that its involvement in the export of F-35 fighter jet parts to Israel makes it complicit in alleged war crimes in Gaza.
Three human rights organizations, including the Dutch arm of Oxfam, have brought the case at the district court in The Hague, stating the export of the fighter plane parts enables Israel to bomb the Gaza strip.
In their court filings, the organizations asserted that Israel violates fundamental principles of the laws of war during its bombing campaigns in Gaza, failing to distinguish between civilian and military targets and disregarding the principle of proportionality. Israel denies committing war crimes, asserting that its forces adhere to international law while combating Palestinian militants in densely populated civilian areas.
The Netherlands hosts a regional warehouse storing US-owned F-35 parts, available for dispatch to partner countries like Israel. Government documents reveal that several weeks after the October 7 Hamas attacks, the Dutch government permitted a shipment of reserve parts for Israeli F-35s.
The Dutch Defence ministry, responsible for overseeing exports, refrained from commenting on the court case. However, in a letter to parliament last week, it stated that, based on current information, “it cannot be established that the F-35s are involved in grave violations of the humanitarian laws of war.”
Israel has reportedly caused the deaths of over 15,400 people in the Gaza Strip in nearly two months, according to the Palestinian Bureau of Statistics. The court proceedings are scheduled to commence at 10 a.m. CET (0900 GMT), during which the claimants’ case and the Dutch state’s response will be presented. A ruling is anticipated within two weeks.
