Reuters: German lawyers seek legal action to stop ship believed to be carrying explosives to Israel
Human rights lawyers have petitioned a Berlin court to block a 150-ton shipment of military explosives on the German cargo ship MV Katherine, which they say is destined for Israel’s largest defense supplier.
The European Legal Aid Centre said on Wednesday that the lawsuit was filed on behalf of three Palestinians from Gaza, on the basis that the RDX explosive shipment could be inserted into munitions used in Israel’s war on Gaza, which could contribute to the commission of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Israel denies allegations of war crimes in the Gaza Strip, saying its forces abide by international humanitarian law in their fight against Palestinian militants operating in densely populated civilian areas.
The German company Lubica Marine, which owns the MV Katherine, said the ship wasn’t scheduled to call at any of Israel’s ports and that it had recently unloaded its cargo in the Montenegrin city of Bar.
The company declined to disclose details of the shipment for contractual reasons, but said it had fully complied with all international and EU regulations and ensured that the necessary permits were obtained prior to any operations.
The European Legal Support Center said the shipment was destined for Israel Military Industries, a unit of Elbit Systems, Israel’s largest supplier of defense materials.
Elbit Systems declined to comment.
