In a significant victory to the campaign by the anti-war groups in the Netherlands, the Hague Court of Appeal ordered the Dutch government to stop the export of parts of F-35 fighter jets to Israel, which are reportedly involved in the bombing of Gaza. The appeal court ruled on Monday February 12, in favor of an appeal filed by three non-governmental organizations Oxfam Novib, Pax for Peace, and The Rights Forum, which was earlier rejected by a lower court terming it as a government policy decision.
The Appeal Court has observed, “It is undeniable that there is a clear risk that the exported F-35 parts are used in serious violations of international humanitarian law. Israel does not take sufficient account of the consequences for the civilian population when conducting its attacks.”
Meanwhile, the Dutch government stated that it would appeal to the Supreme Court against the Appeal Court’s ruling, as it may hamper Netherlands’s relations with the US, which produces the F-35 fighter jets. Parts of the F-35 are stored in the Dutch town of Woensdrecht as part of the strategic and trade deals with the US. On request, parts of the fighter jet are shipped to countries worldwide.
Leftist groups in the Netherlands have been protesting against the government’s involvement in ongoing imperialist wars, including Israel‘s genocidal offensive on Gaza. On February 4, The New Communist Party of Netherlands (NCPN) and the Communist Youth Movement (CJB) protested at the air base in Woensdrecht in southern Netherlands against the country’s supply of F-35 fighter jet parts to Israel.
Earlier, the RED Socialist Youth (ROOD) and the Socialist Party (SP) criticized the Mark Rutte-led caretaker government’s support for the bombardment of Gaza by the Zionist state and the military offensive against Yemen in the Red Sea.
In 2022, Israel imported EUR 2.3 million (USD 2.46 million) worth of military goods from the Netherlands under the F-35 program. Despite being a caretaker government following the political crisis and electoral setbacks in November last year, the coalition government, led by the conservative People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) has continued its involvement in imperialist conflicts by providing fighter jet parts to Israel and promising to deliver F-16 jets to Ukraine at the earliest.
Leftists have accused the Mark Rutte-led caretaker government of duplicity, noting that even as it pays lip service to complying with international laws and human rights in global forums, the government has always excused Israel to continue its war crimes in Gaza.
