UK Court Deems Sale of F-35 Jet Components to Israel Lawful Despite Humanitarian Concerns

The UK High Court has ruled that the government’s decision to allow the export of F-35 fighter jet parts to Israel is lawful, even though officials acknowledged the components could potentially be used in violations of international humanitarian law (IHL) in Gaza.

The legal challenge brought by Global Legal Action Network and Al-Haq with the support of several rights organizations—sought to halt the UK’s involvement in the multinational F-35 supply chain, but the court concluded that such matters fall within the executive’s remit, not the judiciary’s.

Judges determined it was not the court’s role to challenge the UK’s participation in a defence collaboration regarded by ministers as vital to national and international security. While the Ministry of Defence admitted it would require logistical changes to separate components destined for Israel, it argued that halting exports could jeopardise the entire F-35 programme.

Despite the Labour government withdrawing several other arms licences in 2024, the F-35 carve-out remained. The UK, second only to the US in supplying parts, contributes significantly through companies like BAE Systems and GE Aviation.

The case raised questions over the rigour of the government’s legal assessments, as it found only one possible IHL violation—April 2024’s deadly strike on World Central Kitchen—among thousands of Israeli airstrikes in Gaza. Critics argued that focusing solely on individual incidents, rather than broader patterns of harm, undermined the credibility of the UK’s arms export control regime.

Source: The Guardian