Dutch Court Halts Sale of F-35 Parts to Israel

Facts

• An appeals court in the Netherlands has ordered the government to pause the export of F-35 fighter jet parts to Israel, citing an 'undeniable' risk that they will be 'used in serious violations of international humanitarian law.'¹
• Dutch Trade Minister Geoffrey van Leeuwen said he will abide by the ruling, adding, however, that an appeal to the Dutch Supreme Court would be lodged on the grounds that halting deliveries undermines its foreign policy and risks trade deals involving jet components.²
• Government authorities have cast doubt on whether they could even intervene in the deliveries, with lawyers arguing that the order was pointless as the US — the home country of F-35 maker Lockheed Martin — could simply ship jet parts to Israel from elsewhere.³
• F-35 fighter jets, which cost between $80M and $100M each, have been bought by over a dozen countries, with Israel reportedly the first to have used one for a 2018 airstrike in an undisclosed location in the Middle East.⁴
• This verdict follows an appeal by human rights organizations to overturn a lower court ruling that dismissed their claims the deliveries would make the government complicit in alleged war crimes in Gaza.⁵
• The International Court of Justice last month ordered Israel to comply with international law on genocide and to ensure humanitarian aid to Gaza, where nearly three-quarters of the population has been displaced and more than 28K people have reportedly been killed since Israel launched its retaliatory offensive following attacks on Oct. 7.⁶

Sources: ¹Reuters.com, ²POLITICO, ³timesofisrael.com, ⁴New York Times, ⁵Al Jazeera and ⁶Financial Times.

Narratives

• Anti-Israel narrative, as provided by Oxfam International. The Netherlands has long claimed to put human rights above all else, so this decision is clearly the right one for the country. Amid Israel's recent attack against the city of Rafah, over half of Gaza's population is now living in shelters. F-35 jets should not be used to destroy the lives of civilians, and Israel must not be given these weapons until it agrees to stop using them to destroy civilian lives.
• Pro-Israel narrative, as provided by Breaking Defense. The problem with F-35 sales to Israel isn't what they'll be used for but rather how many and how quickly they can be sent over. Israel has used these fighter jets to not only defend itself from Hamas but also to shoot down Houthi missiles. Israel faces threats from all sides of the region, which is why it needs the most powerful and up-to-date weapons possible.

Predictions