French associations seek court order to halt shipment to Israeli arms company

Three French associations petitioned an administrative court in Paris on Friday to halt a shipment intended for Israeli defense firm Elbit Systems, citing France’s obligations under international law, Anadolu reports.

The Franco-Palestinian association NIDAL, the human rights association ASER and JURDI (Jurists for Respect for International Law) said in a statement that they had petitioned the emergency judge at the Paris Administrative Court under the expedited procedure to protect fundamental freedoms.

The associations said their legal action followed reports that Mijno Precision Gearing SAS, a company based in Saint-Etienne, had attempted to ship planetary gearboxes intended for military vehicles to Elbit Systems Land, the Israeli firm’s land systems division.

The shipment, initially scheduled to leave on an Air France flight on Oct. 8, was reportedly not loaded following an alert from civil society groups and mobilization efforts by trade unions at Roissy airport.

It is now scheduled to depart from Paris-Charles-de-Gaulle Airport on Saturday aboard an El Al flight, according to the statement.

The associations said their application challenged the French state’s “failure to act” and asked the judge to order authorities to verify the classification of the goods, disclose whether an export license had been issued, identify the end user and suspend the shipment.

“Precision components manufactured in France cannot be delivered to an entity whose activities are exclusively military without effective state oversight. It was employees and activists who prevented the first departure. It is now up to the state, or failing that, the judge, to ensure compliance with the law,” the associations added.

Allowing the shipment to depart would make France liable, the associations further argued.