Drive the news:
The BDS National Committee has announced a global Week of Action from October 13-18, urging grassroots groups to disrupt the F-35 supply chain through peaceful protests and divestment campaigns.
The campaign follows a June 2024 UN report that identified U.S.- made F-35 jets, manufactured by Lockheed Martin, as being used in “emblematic” attacks on Gaza that caused high civilian casualties and widespread destruction.
A September 2024 investigation by Danish NGO Danwatch revealed that Israeli forces used an F-35 to bomb a designated “safe zone” in Khan Younis, killing 90 Palestinians.
What they’re saying:
“Every state and company involved in producing, assembling, or purchasing F-35s shares responsibility for the atrocities committed in Gaza,” the BDS Committee said.
The group is demanding that states and corporations halt all transfers of F-35 components to Israel and exclude it from future deals.
“We must disrupt the global chain of complicity that enables these crimes,” the statement read.
Why it matters:
The F-35 program involves 13 manufacturing countries and at least 19 user states, including the U.S., U.K., Germany, and South Korea.
Activists argue that components made in Israel are embedded in jets sold globally, making it impossible to separate military technology from field testing on civilians.
Under international law, states are obligated to prevent arms transfers where there is a risk of use in war crimes or genocide.
The big picture:
The campaign reflects growing international scrutiny of military-industrial ties to Israel’s war on Gaza, which has killed over 66,000 Palestinians and wounded more than 169,000 since October 2023, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
The UN General Assembly has called on states to halt arms transfers to Israel where violations of international law are likely.
BDS organizers say they will continue mobilizing until Palestinians achieve freedom, justice, and equality.
Go deeper:
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Hossein Amiri - A.Akbari
