The UK government defended the supply of fighter components to Israel in the midst of the Gaza war, telling a London court that the suspension of exports would endanger Britain’s security and loss relations with Israel and allies.
The rights groups took over the government in the Supreme Court this week, accusing it of breaking international law, allowing the export of advanced Lockheed Martin F-35 Stealth Jet components.
In supported by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Oxfam and others, the Palestinian Al-Haq Rights Association is seeking a judicial order to stop supplying the United Kingdom for US warships, which Israel used to destroy the West.
Earlier this week, lawyers for Al-Haq said the government had known that there was a “clear danger” that Israel would use jet parts to commit violations of international law.
However, government lawyer James Eadie said on Thursday that the UK trading department had been legally acted and that the suspension of export licenses would affect a wider international F-35 program, resulting in “extremely serious risks to the United Kingdom and International Security”.
He added that the court had not been placed to rule on the legality of Israel’s actions and that the attempt to do so could have a “potentially harmful” effect on “external relationships with a friendly situation, that is, Israel”.
He also said that the government had made decisions about the suspension of weapons licenses with its relationship with Israel in mind, seeking to “ensure that relations continued to be cordial”.
In September 2024, the new work government announced that it suspends about 30 of 350 export licenses after a review of Israel’s compliance with international humanitarian law.
But the partial ban did not cover the British F-35 parts.
The refueling detector, the laser targeting system, the tires and the seats are among the elements made in Britain, according to Oxfam.
Britain’s Minister of Defense has previously said that the suspension of F-35 licenses would “undermine US confidence in the United Kingdom and NATO” and would not be possible without “broad impact on the entire F-35 program”.
However, lawyers for Al-Haq described the F-35 exemption as a “vacuum” that allows components to reach Israel through a global concentration system.
In a separate statement, the NGO campaign based in the United Kingdom against weapons trade said that licensing evidence showed that the government had made a “shocking increase in military exports to Israel” months after the announcement of some September 20 suspensions.
He said the figures showed that the United Kingdom approved £ 127.6 million ($ 170 million) on military equipment in Israel on single -edition licenses from October to December 2024, saying this was more than 2020.
Most of the licenses involved military radars, accessories and software, as well as targeting equipment, according to the NGO, which was involved in the government case.
It is not certain when a decision could be made after the four -day hearing, which ends on Friday and marks the last stage in a long -term legal battle.
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