3 May 2002
On May 16, 2002, a Dutch court in The Hague will hear a summary
proceedings filed by twenty one civil society organizations to ban all
export and transit of military goods to Israel. The Dutch government
has so far refused to comply with the demands as stated in a letter
sent to the Ministry of Economic Affairs on April 23, 2002.
According to the organizations, the Netherlands is not allowed to aid
and support an army that violates substantially fundamental norms. The
organizations, including the Dutch organizations Pax Christi, Cordaid,
IKV, ICCO, Campagne tegen Wapenhandel, Novib and LAW are represented by
Van den Biesen Advocaten. The Ministry of Economic Affairs, in
coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, decides whether or
not licenses should be given for the export of military goods.
According to the EU Code of Conduct on Arms Export, export licenses
cannot be given if the end-user does not comply with one or several
criteria of this code. The criteria include, respect for human rights,
international treaties and obligations. According to the organizations
it is evident that Israel does not comply with these criteria.
Export of military goods from the Netherlands includes wheels for
armored military vehicles, components for F-16 fighter jets and
millions of ammunition stripper clips [cartridge links]. It is assumed
that a significant part of this export still takes place according to
earlier approved licenses. In addition, transit of military goods still
commences on a large scale. The port of Rotterdam and the airport
Schiphol, as stopover for El-Al flights arriving from the United
States, are an important aspect.
The Dutch government can impose a provision to obtain licenses, in
relation to transit of strategic goods to Israel, when important
interests are at stake. The plaintiffs state that this is the case.
Israel's military operations in the occupied Palestinian territories,
include killings of Palestinian men, women and children, extra-judicial
executions, arbitrary detention and deportation of prisoners,
collective punishment, torture, the continuation of settlement policy,
attacks on hospitals and ambulances and destruction of homes. These are
violations of human rights and grave breaches of international
humanitarian law, i.e. war crimes. This has been recently documented by
inter alia Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the UN Human
Rights Commission.
The civil society organizations aim to make the Netherlands comply with
existing rules on the trade of arms and to stop aiding and abetting
Israeli violations of human rights and laws of war.
Original url: http://www.ummahnews.com/viewarticle.php?sid=3371