- From 9am on Thursday 9th October, protesters will rally outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London as Al-Haq appeals a High Court ruling over the UK government’s continuing supply of spare parts for F-35 combat aircraft to Israel. Protesters will also express solidarity with Al-Haq as they face sanctions from the US government as part of a campaign of harassment and intimidation for attempting to hold Israeli leaders accountable for international crimes against the Palestinian people.
- In June, the High Court dismissed an application for judicial review. During the case, the government accepted that Israel is not committed to complying with international law, and that there is a clear risk that Israel is using F-35s to commit war crimes. According to court documents, the UK’s Export Control Joint Unit (ECJU) said that “it is uncontentious that conduct which could, in principle, satisfy the physical component of genocide continues to take place in Gaza”.
- In its ruling, the court determined that it didn’t have the jurisdiction to rule on international law and that only the government is able to decide when it should, or should not, comply with international law. This is because, according to the judgment, international treatises are not incorporated into domestic law. CAAT described the ruling as “cowardly”.
- UK industry makes 15% of every F-35, with the value of UK components in Israel’s F-35s estimated by CAAT to be at least £572m. This is by far the most significant part of the UK arms trade with Israel. At least 75 UK companies are involved in manufacturing components. For example, BAE Systems makes every rear fuselage for the F-35 and also makes its active interceptor system. Leonardo makes its targeting lasers and L3 Harris makes the weapons release cables.
- Israel is using its 45 F-35s intensively to bomb Palestinian people in Gaza, including using horrifically destructive 2,000lb bombs. By March this year, Israel had carried out 15,000 flight hours with the F-35 since the start of the war, using the planes in “beast mode”, with extra munitions attached to the wings.
CAAT’s Media Coordinator, Emily Apple, said:
“This is the last opportunity for our legal system to hold this government to account and take the courageous, legal, and moral option, and uphold international law. Our entire political and legal system has – to-date – failed us, and more importantly, failed the Palestinian people.
“Our government is complicit in genocide. It has continually lied about arms sales. It claims it has done everything it can when it has failed to stop the most substantial part of the UK’s arms exports to Israel – the F35 contract. This is a government that has continually prioritised the profits of arms dealers over the lives of Palestinian children.
“Instead of upholding international law, this government has chosen to repeatedly repress and demonise pro-Palestinian protests. However, we will not be silenced. If our government and our courts refuse to act, it is down to ordinary people to take action to prevent the UK’s complicity in Israel’s horrendous war crimes.”
