The Netherlands mentioned Friday it could keep its ban on exporting elements for F-35 fighter jets to Israel regardless of a Supreme Courtroom order giving it the choice to alter its coverage.
The ban on exporting elements for the jets utilized by Israel in its marketing campaign towards Hamas in Gaza has been in place since February 2024, when an Appeals Courtroom ordered the federal government to halt exports.
However earlier Friday, the Supreme Courtroom dominated that this court docket had overstepped its transient and mentioned it was as much as the federal government, not judges, to set international coverage.
Supreme Courtroom judges gave the federal government six weeks to assessment its coverage on export licenses, however the resolution got here in a matter of hours.
“Given the present circumstances, it’s unreasonable to renew the export of F-35 elements from the Netherlands to Israel at the moment,” the federal government mentioned in an announcement.
The US-owned F-35 elements are saved at a warehouse within the Netherlands, then shipped to a number of companions, together with Israel, by way of present export agreements.
The federal government confused its dedication to the F-35 program as “a significant think about safeguarding our safety and that of our allies.”
It mentioned it had taken the case to the Supreme Courtroom “as a result of, in line with the cupboard, it’s as much as the state to form its international coverage.”
Nonetheless, this step was unrelated to what the federal government referred to as “the catastrophic scenario within the Gaza Strip.”
“A ceasefire have to be reached as quickly as potential to finish the violence and the struggling of the inhabitants, and to launch the hostage,” mentioned the assertion.
Tens of hundreds of red-clad protesters march demanding their authorities do extra to halt Israel’s marketing campaign in Gaza towards Hamas, throughout an indication in The Hague, Netherlands, June 15, 2025. (AP Photograph/Peter Dejong)
Friday’s Supreme Courtroom ruling put an finish to a long-running authorized saga over the elements.
Supreme Courtroom Vice-President Martijn Polak dominated that the Appeals Courtroom had erred in siding with rights teams that argued the elements contributed to violations of worldwide regulation by Israel.
“The Courtroom of Enchantment could not assess for itself whether or not granting the allow constitutes a transparent danger of great violation of worldwide humanitarian regulation,” mentioned Polak.
“That’s as much as the minister.”
Dutch authorities had argued it was not clear whether or not they even had the ability to intervene within the deliveries, a part of a US-run operation that provides elements to all F-35 companions.
Authorities attorneys additionally argued that Israel may simply discover the elements elsewhere if their export from the Netherlands had been banned.
In June, the Excessive Courtroom in London rejected a authorized problem introduced by a Palestinian rights group in search of to dam Britain from supplying elements for Israeli F-35s.
Instances of Israel workers contributed to this report.
