It seems as though anti-Israel groups in the West have moved from protest to active sabotage of the Jewish State's war efforts against Hamas, as a Dutch court ruled in favor of preventing American F-35 parts stored in the Netherlands from being shipped to Israel.
Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) wrote a letter to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin demanding answers on how the United States will respond to the development, saying, "The United States must never allow our military decision-making and national security to be vetoed by foreign activists or foreign courts."
The Associated Press described how three human rights groups launched a civil suit against the Dutch government to prevent the shipment of F-35 jet parts to Israel as they battle Hamas in December.
Sen. Rubio's letter decried the appeals court's decision, saying, "This decision could prevent Israel, one of the United States’ closest allies, from defending itself against terrorist groups." However, he noted the Dutch government sought to reverse the decision, but Sen. Rubio warned, "There is no guarantee it will succeed."
Moreover, the exportation ban only exacerbates supply chain problems that will "embolden our adversaries to exploit our inability to supply our allies, partners, and our own military in times of crisis."
As a result, Rubio asked Sec. Austin in his letter what the Department of Defense would do in response to the Hague's ruling if it remained in place, what sort of contingency plans are in place to circumvent "unexpected disruptions," and "What has the DoD done to ensure that adequate production and stockpiles of critical components are maintained under U.S. jurisdiction."
"While international cooperation on programs such as the F-35 is commendable, the United States must never allow our military decision-making and national security to be vetoed by foreign activists or foreign courts. Nor can we allow them to prevent Israel from conducting operations against a group the Secretary of State designates as a Foreign Terrorist Organization," Rubio concluded.
Other members of Florida's Congressional delegation have criticized Western countries' actions against Israel since the war began in October, when Representative Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL) condemned Colombian President Gustavo Petro's speech denouncing the Jewish State. In November, Colombia, Bolivia, and Chile broke off diplomatic ties with Israel, eliciting responses from Representatives Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) and Mario Diaz Balart (R-FL).
More recently, Representative Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) responded to Brazilian President Lula da Silva comparing the Israel-Hamas war to the Holocaust, saying "Nobody is Hitler and nothing is the Holocaust. You lose credibility to help the people of Gaza when you diminish Hitler."
