Human rights groups lost their legal challenge to the British government’s decision to supply Israel with parts for F-35 fighter jets and other military equipment, in a ruling handed by London’s High Court on Monday.
The court, which looked into the allegation that the UK selling arms to Israel through a global pool was against the law, stated that it was not up to the courts to tell the government to withdraw from the group.
The case was brought by the UK-based Global Legal Action Network and a Ramallah-based human rights group Al-Haq, in conjunction with Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and Oxfam.
They argued that there was a “clear risk” that the UK’s indirect supply of essential F-35 components to Israel — which have been linked to its recent military actions, particularly in Gaza — represented a breach of domestic and international law, accusing the British government of operating through a “deliberate loophole”.
However, in a 72-page ruling, two High Court judges ruled that the issue was one of national security, given that the parts were considered vital to the defence collaboration, as well as the UK’s security and international peace.
“Under our constitution, that acutely sensitive and political issue is a matter for the executive, which is democratically accountable to parliament and ultimately to the electorate, not for the courts,” stated Justices Stephen Males and Karen Steyn.
The court said that the components were manufactured in the UK, before being sent to assembly lines in the US, Italy and Japan, which supply partners — including Israel — with jets and spare parts.
Although the government suspended 30 out of 350 export licenses for equipment sent to Israel — which included licenses for helicopters and drone parts — in September 2024, licenses related to components of F-35 fighter jets were exempt from the suspension.
Compared with major arms suppliers such as the US and Germany, British firms sell a relatively small amount of weapons and components to Israel.
The Campaign Against Arms Trade non-profit group estimates that the UK supplies about 15% of the components in the F-35 stealth combat aircraft, including its laser targeting system.
Additional sources • AP
