‘Cowardly’ UK court ruling permits F-35 arms exports to Israel despite genocide in Gaza

A British High Court ruling has triggered widespread condemnation after it upheld the legality of UK arms exports to Israel, even though ministers themselves have admitted these exports could be used in serious violations of international law in Gaza.

The judicial review, brought by Palestinian human rights group Al-Haq and the UK-based Global Legal Action Network (GLAN), challenged Britain’s continued supply of components for the F-35 fighter jet, a key aircraft deployed by Israel in its ongoing assault on Gaza.

In a 72-page judgment issued yesterday, Lord Justice Males and Mrs Justice Steyn ruled that ministers were within their rights to continue supplying parts, despite mounting evidence of atrocities and war crimes in Gaza. The court rejected all 13 grounds of challenge, arguing that foreign arms policy was ultimately a matter for government ministers, not the courts.

Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) denounced the ruling as “cowardly,” accusing the judiciary of abdicating its responsibilities to uphold international humanitarian law. The UK provides roughly 15 per cent of each F-35 jet, parts which are exported into a global supply pool run by US arms giant Lockheed Martin. From there, the parts are distributed to programme members, including Israel.

Despite the Labour government’s decision last September to suspend 30 other arms export licences to Israel, ministers allowed the F-35 programme to continue, on the grounds that disrupting the supply chain would harm the UK’s defence interests and weaken NATO.

The court’s ruling, however, acknowledged the serious risk of UK-made parts being used in atrocities. “This judgment confirms what we have long feared,” said Yasmine Ahmed, UK Director of Human Rights Watch. “Palestinians in Gaza are being left without the protection of international law, not because the law does not apply, but because the UK refuses to enforce it.”

Sara Husseini of the British Palestinian Committee added, “Now the courts have kicked the issue back to ministers, it is a matter for MPs and the electorate to hold the government to account.”

Despite the verdict, Al-Haq and GLAN say they are considering an appeal.

The judgment also reignited calls for political accountability. Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has urged Parliament to launch a full, independent inquiry into the UK’s role in Israel’s war on Gaza, including its arms exports, intelligence sharing and the use of RAF bases.

Introducing a 10-minute rule bill last month, Corbyn said the UK was “complicit in war crimes” and had failed to ensure transparency over arms sales during a campaign of genocide. “The public has a right to know the extent of our government’s involvement,” he told MPs. “This cannot be hidden behind closed doors.”

Richard Burgon MP, a vocal critic of UK arms policy, called for an immediate Commons vote on the issue. “Let’s end the passing of the buck. The government must take moral responsibility and decide whether it wants to continue its complicity in genocide.”

Read: UK defends arms sales to Israel amid genocide as high court case opens