Is Dutch State Complicit in War Crimes in Gaza?

 

Image Source: Al-Jazeera

Human rights organizations say that the Dutch state is complicit in war crimes in Gaza by exporting aircraft parts to Israel.

A Dutch court is set to try the state for complicity in war crimes for supplying parts for Israeli bombers in Gaza.

The lawsuit, which opens Monday against the Netherlands by human rights organizations, alleges the Dutch state is complicit in alleged war crimes over the recovery of parts for F-35 fighter jets.

The Dutch branches of Amnesty International and Oxfam say that by allowing the delivery of spare parts for Israeli fighter jets during the ongoing war, "the Netherlands contributes to the widespread and serious violations of human rights committed by Israel in Gaza."

The court case will begin at 10am CET (09:00 GMT) and will hear the claimants' case and the Dutch state lawyers' response. A decision is expected in two weeks.

The Netherlands is home to a regional warehouse that stores US-owned F-35 parts, which can be shipped to other F-35 partner nations, such as Israel.

Several weeks after the deadly attacks by Hamas on October 7, the Dutch government authorized the shipment of spare parts for Israeli F-35 jets, official documents show.

Last week, the country's defense minister, Kajsa Ollongren, told Dutch news agency ANP that she would not comment on the charges ahead of legal proceedings at The Hague court.

But later, in a letter to parliament, the Dutch defense ministry said that based on current information, "it cannot be established that the F-35s are involved in serious violations of the laws of war".

Israel has denied committing war crimes in Gaza.

More than 15,000 Palestinians, including women and children, have been killed during the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip. Israel says Hamas fighters have killed 1,200 Israelis and taken 240 hostages.

Like the rest of the EU, since the start of the war between Israel and Gaza, the Netherlands has maintained that Israel has a right to self-defense under humanitarian and international law.

The Dutch government has not included calls for a ceasefire that have been heard from some EU allies such as Belgium and Spain.