Rights groups sue Netherlands for supplying F-35 fighter jet parts to Israeli occupation

WORLD, June 28 (YPA) – Three human rights groups have filed a lawsuit against Dutch government once again on Friday, stressing that a ban on supplying F-35 fighter jet parts to Israeli occupation is not being respected in practice.

In a landmark verdict in February, an appeals court ordered the Netherlands to stop delivering parts for fighter jets used by “Israel” in its offensive in the Gaza Strip.

The court said at the time there was a “clear risk” the planes would be involved in breaking international humanitarian law.

But the rights groups are returning to court, saying that the ban has not prevented the parts ending up in Israeli planes.

“Unfortunately, everything indicates that these parts end up in Israel from the Netherlands via other routes,” said Oxfam Novib, one of the groups involved in the case.

The Dutch government “has continued delivering (parts) to other countries, including the United States. And that contravenes the order of the court,” Liesbeth Zegveld, a lawyer representing the rights groups, told the court.

“The court order (from February) applies to all F-35 parts with Israel as the final destination and the state must stop all such deliveries in practice,” she argued.

The government must “actively prevent” parts reaching Israel, said Zegveld.

Citing court documents, public broadcaster NOS said the Dutch government had acknowledged it could not prevent parts shipped to the United States eventually ending up in Israeli F-35s.

According to the documents cited by NOS, the US ships fighter jet parts produced by the Dutch to other countries for a global pool of spar parts.

@E.Y.M