MAY 7, 2024 JLM 62°F 10:31 AM 03:31 AM EST
Rubio: ‘Unsettling’ that foreign courts can block US weapons shipment to allies amid war

The Florida senator wrote to the U.S. defense secretary after a Dutch appeals court’s decision threatened to halt delivery of U.S.-made F-35 parts to Israel

Washington must prevent foreign courts and activists from vetoing U.S. national security and military decisions, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) wrote to Lloyd Austin, the U.S. defense secretary.

The senator’s Feb. 27 letter comes more than two weeks after a Dutch appeals court ruled that U.S.-owned parts for F-35 jets couldn’t ship to Israel, which it alleged would use them in “serious violations of international humanitarian law” in the war against Hamas.

“The court case is the latest attempt by anti-Israel pressure groups to prevent Israel from continuing its justified military campaign to destroy Hamas and other terrorist groups responsible for the Oct. 7, 2023 massacres,” Rubio wrote.

“The Dutch government, a strong U.S. ally, is doing what it can to reverse this damaging decision by The Hague Court of Appeal. However, there is no guarantee it will succeed,” the senator added. “It is unsettling that foreign courts, pressured by foreign activists, could have the power to block shipments of U.S.-owned military components to an ally during wartime.”

The Pentagon must also stop foreign actors from preventing Israel “from conducting operations against a group the secretary of state designates as a Foreign Terrorist Organization,” Rubio wrote.

The court’s decision “could endanger the national security of the United States and our ally, Israel. It also threatens to set a dangerous precedent for foreign activists and courts to stymie U.S. and allied military operations through ‘lawfare,’” the senator added.

On Feb. 26, the Pentagon announced an $11.2 million contract for Lockheed Martin related to “Mission Systems Test Capability systems in support of enabling multi-ship F-35 testing with a single F-35 in a ground-test environment.”

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed the sale of F-35 jets to Greece during a Feb. 9 event with Georgios Gerapetritis, the Greek foreign minister.

“We further develop our defense capabilities with upcoming acquisition of up to 40 F-35 jets, which reflects the depth of our mutual relations,” Gerapetritis said. “In light of the above, I daresay that the United States and Greece complement each other, doing everything in their power to contribute to regional and global stability.”

The United States is giving “unprecedented surge support to F-35 users in Israel,” Lt. Gen. Michael Schmidt, program executive officer of the U.S. military’s 35 Lightning II Joint Program Office, testified before the Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces of the House Armed Services Committee on Dec. 12.

“Since early October, the F-35 Program has delivered surge support to Israel. Israeli users are achieving exceptional mission capability rates and the aircraft is proving resilient,” Schmidt said. “We’re learning a tremendous amount and will apply lessons learned to enhance fleet readiness across the globe.”

“The F-35 air system has proven its capability and supply chain resilience in recent months in Israel, and I remain confident in our global sustainment capability,” he added.

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Comments
[Anonymous] 19:50 08.03.2024
Austin is in the same four walls as Blinken, Sullivan and Obama
William Morgan 18:36 08.03.2024
And let me be clear. It’s the Democrats that are Israelites enemy not the majority of the people
William Morgan 18:34 08.03.2024
They suggest only , but the US is secretly Israel’s enemy too! They will abide with the ruling
[Anonymous] 18:26 08.03.2024
My apologies the USA 🇺🇸 🇺🇸
[Anonymous] 18:25 08.03.2024
Bring the Jobs home USA and do not hire any foreigners, due to actions against UDS and threats made against our Nation
Eric 14:22 29.02.2024
IN 1492 SPAIN MADE ALL THERE JEWS GO TO HOLLAND. I GUESS TIMES CHANGE.
Jeffry Blackmon 04:14 29.02.2024
Why should a Dutch court have anything to do with US commerce with Israel? Itnore it.
Services 808 01:31 29.02.2024
Britain is trying to withhold arms shipments to Israel for political reasons. Sue Britain for giving Israel’s historical lands to the fictitious country of Jordan
[Anonymous] 23:28 28.02.2024
Will you prevent the war material suppliers to Hamas, Hezbollah, Houthi’s and other warring enemies of Israel?
[Anonymous] 21:36 28.02.2024
Gerald do you believe that the present government is loyal to Israel?
Steve Jensen 20:59 28.02.2024
*muslim
Steve Jensen 20:58 28.02.2024
Fucking international organisations & courts run by either Marxists or Palestinian-Arab-Muslin sympathisers-lovers-co conspirators-co cocksuckers who need a poxy bullet one by one!
[Anonymous] 19:25 28.02.2024
US should ignore the decisions of that fictional court!
Gerald Flanders 18:07 28.02.2024
No country on this earth has the power to stop anything the United States does, especially for our close friend, Israel.
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