The court noted that there was a clear risk that the parts would be used in “serious violations of international humanitarian law.”
A Dutch court has ordered the government to stop delivering spare parts for F-35 fighter jets used by Israel in its bombing of the Gaza Strip.
The appeals court's ruling on Monday said there was a “clear risk” that the parts exported by the Netherlands would be used in “serious violations of international humanitarian law”.
The court said that it was possible that Israel was using its F-35 aircraft in attacks on Gaza, which resulted in unacceptable civilian casualties. It rejected the Dutch state's argument that it does not have to conduct a new examination on the export permit.
The ruling followed an appeal by Amnesty International and Oxfam against a lower court decision last year that rejected their argument that the supply of parts contributed to an “alleged contribution to widespread and serious violations of humanitarian law by Israel in Gaza.”
Human rights organizations accused the government of complicity in war crimes by maintaining renditions.
In December, the court dismissed the case. She said that the government enjoyed a large degree of freedom in evaluating political issues related to arms exports.
But the Court of Appeal rejected this, saying that political and economic concerns did not outweigh the clear risk of violations of the laws of war.
Instead, the Court of Appeal ordered the Dutch government to block all exports of fighter aircraft parts to Israel within seven days.
“It cannot be denied that there is a clear risk that exported F-35 aircraft parts will be used in serious violations of international humanitarian law,” Judge Bass Boyle said while reading the ruling.
Israel has repeatedly denied allegations of war crimes committed during its military operation in the Strip. However, in January the International Court of Justice called on Israel to be vigilant against any activities in the Strip that could constitute genocide.
The Ministry of Health in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip said on Monday that at least 28,340 people had been killed in the besieged enclave during the war, including 164 in the past 24 hours.
A total of 67,984 people have been injured since hostilities began on October 7 after Hamas killed about 1,100 people and captured 240 or so in an attack on Israel.
Dutch authorities said last year that it was not clear whether they had the authority to interfere in extradition operations.
The Netherlands houses one of several regional warehouses from which parts for US-owned F-35 aircraft are distributed to countries upon request. The Dutch facility has supplied Israel with at least one shipment since the beginning of the war.
Government lawyers also argued that Israel could easily purchase spare parts for its F-35 aircraft elsewhere if the Dutch facility did not supply them.
Dutch authorities can appeal the court ruling ordering the government to halt exports.
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