Updated with new information 6 December 2024
On 2 September, the UK government announced that it was suspending around 30 arms export sales to Israel, covering equipment that was due to go to the Israeli military, and that the government assessed were for use in Gaza. This was out of a total of around 350 currently valid export licences for military and dual-use goods to Israel.
Licences were suspended for items including components for fighter jets and unmanned air vehicles, as well as equipment used to assist in targeting. This decision was made on the grounds that there was a ‘clear risk’ such equipment might be used to commit serious violations of International Humanitarian Law (IHL).
This is a welcome step. It is the first time the UK government has acknowledged the obvious reality that Israel is violating international law in Gaza, and the first practical step, as opposed to merely rhetorical, to hold Israel accountable for its actions.
But there is one huge, glaring omission: the government exempted the crucial supply of components for Israel’s F-35 fighter aircraft from the partial suspension.
In this briefing, we explain what the F-35 is, the UK’s role in it, and why the supply of components for Israel’s F-35s is so important. We also talk about other aspects of the partial suspension of export licences, and their limitations.
The companies that are registered for the Open General Export Licence (OGEL) for the F-35 programme, under which most F-35-related exports from the UK are conducted, as well as other companies with recent arms export licences to Israel, can be explored on our interactive map.
V2.0. This second version now includes information on export licences for indirect arms sales to Israel via components sold to the US for inclusion in weapons then sold to Israel, and an estimate of the value of F-35 spare parts from the UK sent to Israel. There are also some updates based on information from recent legal proceedings.