International organizations urge F-35-producing countries to halt deliveries to Israeli occupation

SANAA, Feb. 19 (YPA) – More than 200 organizations around the world have called on countries involved in the production of the F-35 fighter jet to immediately halt all arms transfers to Israeli occupation amid growing concerns about the failure of those governments to prevent the aircraft from being used in violations of international law.

According to the British newspaper “The Guardian,” 232 civil society organizations sent a joint letter on Monday to the ministers of the governments of Australia, Canada, Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, the United States, and the United Kingdom. The letter came in conjunction with the 500th day of the Gaza war.

The letter explained that the past 15 months have clearly shown that “Israel” does not abide by international law. It also noted that countries involved in the F-35 program have failed — individually or collectively — to prevent “Israel” from using these aircraft to commit serious violations of international law.

The letter also stressed that some countries have either refrained from abiding by their international legal obligations or claimed that the structure of the F-35 program makes it impossible to impose controls on end users, which puts the entire program in contradiction with international law.

The F-35 fighter jets are manufactured by a global consortium led by the US defense giant company “Lockheed Martin.”

In the course of the war on Gaza, more than 48,000 people were killed, with estimates indicating that the real number of victims is 40% higher than the official figures issued by the Ministry of Health in the Strip. Most of the population was forced to flee as a result of Israeli bombardment, and 69% of the infrastructure was severely damaged, according to reports from the United Nations Satellite Center.

YPA