MADRID 29 Nov. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Attorney General’s Office of the Netherlands has recommended this Friday to the country’s Supreme Court that it ratify the current suspension of the shipment of parts to Israel for the F-35 combat aircraft, understanding that there is a clear risk of committing serious violations of International Humanitarian Law in the Gaza Strip.
“On the basis of various international standards to which the Netherlands is a party, the export of military material must be prohibited if there is such a clear risk,” according to the recommendation signed by the Dutch attorney general, Paul Vlas, and published by the Supreme Court. on its official website.
These pieces are military items that were exported to Israel from the Woensdrecht air base under special permission since 2016, until in February of this year the Court of Appeals in The Hague ordered the Dutch Government to suspend their shipments. The authorities asked the Supreme Court for an opinion in this regard, but decided to accept the appeals court’s suspension order in the meantime.
However, the Dutch section of the NGO Oxfam reported in July that the country’s authorities were, in fact, circumventing the court order, sending the pieces instead to the United States for later delivery to Israel. This complaint reached a court, which ended up rejecting it when it was understood that Israel could not be considered the “ultimate destination” of these pieces.
Now, the Dutch Supreme Court will begin a deliberation on the recommendation of the Prosecutor’s Office and the counterarguments of the Government, directed not so much at the ban itself, which is still firm, but against the idea that the highest civil court in the country would rule. on a matter of national security.
The Attorney General’s Office acts in this case as an advisory body to the Supreme Court, which does not, however, have the obligation to heed its recommendations.