Judge opposes the ruling of human rights groups, claiming that Britain is illegally armed Israel
LONDON (AP) – Human rights groups lost their legal challenges on Monday after the British government decided to provide parts of F-35 fighter jets and other military equipment to Israel.
Palestinian group Al-Haq and the UK-based global legal action network said the government violated domestic and international law and committed atrocities against the Palestinians by allowing the basic components of the fighter jets to be provided to Israel.
Last year, the government suspended 30 of the 350 existing export permits that were considered for export permits for equipment used in the Gaza conflict because of “obvious risks” that these projects could be used for violations of international humanitarian law. Equipment includes parts for helicopters and drones.
However, certain licenses related to F-35 fighter components are exempted, which are provided indirectly to Israel through the global spare parts supply chain and are related to bombing the Gaza Strip.
Although rights groups believe that the UK should not pass the government's assessment of Israel's compliance with international humanitarian law and should not continue to pass the so-called “intentional loophole” export section, the government said that these sections have been distributed to cooperation involving the United States and six other partners to produce jets.
The court said components produced in the UK were sent to rally lines in the United States, Italy and Japan, including Israel, including jets and spare parts.
The two High Court judges ruled that the issue was one of national security, as these parts were considered crucial to defence cooperation and the security and international peace in the UK. They said this was not the reason the court told the government to withdraw from the organization, as the parts could be provided to Israel and were used to violating Gaza's international humanitarian law.
“According to our constitution, keen sensitivity and political issues are a problem for executives, which is responsible for parliament and ultimately for voters, not for the courts,” Judges Stephen Males and Karen Steyn wrote in the 72-page judgment.
British companies sold relatively small quantities of weapons and components to Israel compared to major weapons suppliers such as the United States and Germany. The campaign against the arms trade nonprofit estimates that the UK provides about 15% of components in the F-35 stealth fighter, including its laser-targeting system.
