AhlulBayt News Agency: London’s High Court has rejected a legal challenge filed by a Palestinian rights group against the UK government’s decision to continue exporting F-35 fighter jet components to Israel, ruling that the government acted “lawfully” despite accusations of genocide in Gaza.
The verdict, delivered on Wednesday, has sparked widespread international criticism over Britain’s arms export policies.
The lawsuit was initiated by Al-Haq, a Palestinian human rights organization, targeting the UK Department for Business and Trade for exempting F-35 parts from export restrictions to Israel.
In September 2024, the UK suspended 30 arms export licenses for items potentially usable by Israeli forces in Gaza, acknowledging the risk of contributing to serious breaches of international humanitarian law.
Nevertheless, the UK continued supplying F-35 components through a global network, prioritizing strategic military partnerships over accountability for alleged mass atrocities.
Al-Haq contended that Israel’s F-35 fleet played a central role in the genocide in Gaza and that Britain’s exemption directly enabled the regime’s capacity to commit such crimes.
The UK government argued that pulling out of the F-35 joint strike program would severely impact national security and damage US trust in Britain and NATO.
While the judges recognized that the exported parts could be used in violations of international humanitarian law, they ruled that such decisions fall under the executive branch, accountable to Parliament and the electorate—not the judiciary.
Sara Elizabeth Dill, a human rights lawyer and officer of the International Bar Association’s War Crimes Committee, criticized the ruling, saying it raises serious concerns about the lack of judicial oversight over the UK’s international obligations.
The case exposed internal assessments by the British government regarding Israel’s conduct in Gaza and its compliance with humanitarian law.
By July 2024, nine months into Israel’s war on Gaza, the UK concluded that although Israel may have violated international law, there was no serious risk of genocide occurring.
After reviewing 413 incidents, the UK found Israel had breached international law only once—during the April 1, 2024, attack on a World Central Kitchen convoy that killed seven aid workers. The court declined to challenge this conclusion.
“There are thousands of incidents, not just isolated ones. When nearly all buildings are destroyed, and entire systems like healthcare and education collapse, the pattern is undeniable,” said Jennine Walker, senior lawyer at Global Legal Action Network, representing Al-Haq.
The UN, major international bodies, and global legal experts have described Israel’s actions in Gaza as genocidal.
In September, the International Association of Genocide Scholars affirmed that Israel’s war in Gaza met the legal criteria for genocide. Israel is also facing proceedings at the International Court of Justice.
Over the course of Israel’s two-year war on Gaza, nearly 70,000 Palestinians—including 21,000 children—were killed, and 171,000 others wounded.
Despite a US-mediated ceasefire last month, Israel continues to violate the truce, launching new attacks that have killed dozens more Palestinians.
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