The Israeli military confirms to Danish Information that F-35 aircraft took part in the attack on the refugee camps in Al-Mawasi in Gaza on 13 July, which is said to have killed 90 people. Kongsberg Gruppen is one of several Nordic companies that contribute to the production of the combat aircraft. ISRAELI F-35 AIRCRAFT: Israel is now in the process of receiving 75 F-35 aircraft from the United States. Kongsberg Gruppen is one of several Norwegian companies that contribute to the production of the combat aircraft. Photo: IDF The Norwegian company established a collaboration with the American manufacturer behind the F-35 fighter jets, Lockheed Martin, already in 2008. news has contacted Kongsberg Gruppen, which does not answer news’s question whether they can confirm or deny whether Israeli fighter jets contain parts produced by them. Read their full response below. More than 300 people are also said to have been injured in the attack on the area which the Israeli authorities had previously referred to as a “humanitarian zone”. Israeli authorities claim the attack also killed Hamas leader Mohammed Deif. He is considered the architect of the October 7 attack, in which Hamas killed more than 1,000 Israelis and took 250 hostages. Photo: BASHAR TALEB / AFP It is the first time during the war that Israel has confirmed the use of the F-35 in connection with a specific attack that has resulted in civilian casualties, according to Information. It was the Frifagbevegelse that mentioned the matter first in Norway. Save the Children: Completely unacceptable – That Norwegian companies may have contributed to the bombing of refugee camps, even if it was aimed at military targets, is completely unacceptable, says Mads Harlem, special adviser and lawyer at Save the Children. Mads Harlem is a special adviser and lawyer at Redd Barna Photo: Håkon Mosvold Larsen / NTB He also believes that the attack may constitute a war crime, and demands that Kongsberg Gruppen be assessed by the Norwegian Consumer Protection Authority. – When we now see that Norwegian companies that contribute to the F-35 program are so directly involved in the attacks against children in Gaza, it is natural to assess whether these companies are acting in accordance with the Transparency Act. Kongsberg Gruppen’s response to news Photo: Maria Kommandantvold / DKBU In 2008, Norway chose the F-35 as its combat aircraft with a broad political majority in the Storting. This is the largest Norwegian defense procurement ever, and the authorities set strict requirements for repurchases and supply agreements for Norwegian industry. As a result of the decision, KONGSBERG entered into an industrial agreement with the authorities, and since then we have produced composite parts for the fuselage. The F-35 forms the backbone of Norwegian defense capability and the long-term cooperation with allies and partners in the USA means that Norway can supply air defense to Ukraine. KONGSBERG is part of a larger industrial collaboration on the F-35 and today there are close to 10 countries contributing to the programme. In this collaboration, Norway and KONGSBERG have entered into long-term commitments. The parts are exported to the US as part of the industrial agreement, and the finished aircraft is subject to US export regulations. KONGSBERG is a supplier in this partnership, questions about the use of the F-35 must be asked to the respective authorities. – Ronny Lie, director of communications at Kongsberg Gruppen SV: – Must get end-user declaration in place SV has previously demanded a so-called “end-user declaration” for arms exports to the USA and other NATO allies. An end-user declaration is a guarantee given to the seller that the buyer is the final user of the weapon, and that the buyer must not resell the weapon without permission from the country of origin. – The best way to avoid this is to require an end-user declaration. If that is not possible, the only solution is for Norway to withdraw from the cooperation, says SV leader Ingrid Fiskaa. Photo: Ole Berg-Rusten / NTB She believes that it is urgent to get end-user declarations on Norwegian-produced weapons and weapon parts in place. – An end-user declaration will put an end to weapons ending up where Norway is not officially supposed to export weapons. She believes that the government must realize that Norway has a problem when you indirectly export weapons and weapon parts to a country that commits serious war crimes. – Great Britain has just realized it has a problem, and curtailed its arms exports. Now it is time for the Norwegian government to wake up, she says. – This is not an arms embargo, said British Foreign Minister David Lammy, according to the Reuters news agency. He also emphasized that the country will continue its cooperation with Israel. Photo: Toby Melville / Reuters Earlier this month, it became known that the UK is confiscating 30 licenses for arms exports to Israel. The UK believes there is a possibility that the equipment could be used for gross violations of international international law. Government: Not appropriate to withdraw from F35 cooperation State Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Eivind Vad Petersson, believes that Norway has a far stricter export policy than the UK, when it comes to arms exports to Israel. – The export of weapons and other defense material from Norway to Israel is not permitted. The Norwegian government’s line is therefore much stricter than the UK and a number of other European countries. State Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Eivind Vad Petersson says that it is not appropriate to withdraw from the F-35 cooperation. Although it is now reported that Israeli aircraft with potentially Norwegian-made components have bombed Gaza, Petersson believes that it is not appropriate to abandon international cooperation on F-35 aircraft. – The F-35 aircraft are very important for the defense of Norway. It is out of the question to withdraw from this cooperation. Petersson confirms that Norwegian companies contribute to the F-35 aircraft with aircraft parts and components, but emphasizes that the finished product is subject to American export regulations. – The finished F-35 aircraft are subject to American regulations for defense exports. Norway does not currently require allies to ask for permission before weapons bought by Norway are resold. The government wants to change that. – The government’s aim is to put in place end-user declarations also between NATO countries for the onward export of weapons and ammunition, says the state secretary. UN: Demands a ceasefire The UN has previously demanded that countries that supply arms to Israel stop this while the war is ongoing. They also urge countries to be careful that they do not end up supplying Israel indirectly with weapons, via their defense allies. “Deliveries of weapons and ammunition to Israel can constitute serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law. States risk complicity in international crimes, and possibly including genocide,” the letter, which was published in June, said. Published 09/09/2024, at 16.17
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Plane with possibly Norwegian-made parts bombed Gaza – news Buskerud – Local news, TV and radio
