Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Russian Foreign Ministry: Moscow has lodged a protest with Israeli authorities over the attack on a vehicle belonging to the Representative office of the Russian Federation to Palestinian National Authority
Lebanese Ministry of Health: One person was killed in an Israeli airstrike on a car in the town of Brital, Baalbek
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: An Israeli drone launched three missiles on the Baalbek-Rayak international road in eastern Lebanon
Salam: The army has been tasked with developing a plan for "state weapons monopoly" by the end of this year and presenting it to the ministerial council before the 31st of this month
Salam: Discussion of the US document paper will be pursued in a government session next Thursday
Salam: We affirm Lebanon's right to self-defense in the event of any aggression.
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, in a statement after the government session that discussed the "state weapons monopoly" clause: Based on the ministerial statement, the Lebanese state is committed to implementing international resolution 1701
Sheikh Qassem: Lebanon is a country where sacrifices and blood have been made, and we will discuss any matter related to it in Lebanon; no one think of imposing any diktats on us
Sheikh Qassem: We must beware of the advocates of sedition whose hands are stained with blood and who serve the Israeli project
Sheikh Qassem: We are a fundamental component of Lebanon, so how the resistance is approached must be reconsidered

UK government sued over jet parts linked to Gaza bombing

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Financial Times
  • 12 May 2025 13:00
  • 1 Shares
4 Min Read

The UK government is being taken to the High Court by Palestinian human rights group Al-Haq over its role in exporting F-35 fighter jet components used by "Israel" in Gaza.

Listen
  • x
  • A Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II performs a demonstration flight at the Paris Air Show, in Le Bourget, east of Paris, Tuesday, June 20, 2017. (AP)
    A Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II performs a demonstration flight at the Paris Air Show, in Le Bourget, east of Paris, Tuesday, June 20, 2017. (AP)

The UK government is facing a High Court challenge over its continued export of fighter jet components used by "Israel" in its war on Gaza, in a legal case brought by Al-Haq, a Palestinian human rights organization. The case, reported by the Financial Times, targets the Department for Business and Trade and raises critical questions about the UK’s obligations under international law.

At the centre of the legal dispute is the UK’s role in supplying parts for the US-made F-35 Lightning II fighter jet, which "Israel" has deployed extensively in its aggression on Gaza. While some arms export licences were suspended in 2024 amid concerns over potential breaches of international humanitarian law, F-35 jet components were not included, as they are shipped to the United States and then routed to "Israel" through the broader international F-35 programme.

The UK government, under Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, has defended the continued export of F-35 parts. Sir James Eadie KC, leading the government’s legal team, argued that the decision was “lawful and justified,” citing the importance of the F-35 programme to NATO and allied security interests.

Court documents submitted by the Department for Business and Trade warn of the “gravity of the risks to the F-35 programme, and to international peace and security if the F-35 programme were to be compromised.” The government claims halting these exports would jeopardize national defense partnerships and broader strategic objectives.

Legal dispute over the UK’s international humanitarian obligations

Related News

West Bank women on hunger strike, demand return of slain man’s body

Israeli strike on Brital kills one; assaults continue in South Lebanon

Represented by Phillippa Kaufmann KC and Raza Husain KC, Al-Haq contends that the UK is failing its duty under international law by enabling a party accused of committing war crimes and potential genocide. “The government continues to permit the export of parts for F-35 fighter jets responsible for significant devastation in Gaza,” the group stated in court filings.

Central to the case is whether the UK must act on the “serious risk” of genocide or only when there is “actual knowledge” of violations. The government claims that only the latter standard applies, noting that internal assessments warning of a "clear risk" do not meet the legal threshold. The claimants dispute this, insisting that preventive obligations under international law are triggered by serious risk alone.

Al-Haq’s legal team further argues that the indirect nature of the exports, via the United States, does not reduce the UK's responsibility. “The fact that those parts are now being transferred indirectly to Israel via the United States of America, rather than provided directly to Israel, does not minimise the severity of their impact on the ground in Gaza,” their filing reads.

The case also highlights the UK’s obligation to “respect and ensure respect” for the Geneva Conventions, regardless of whether exports are direct or part of a multinational programme.

Judicial review set to begin

The judicial review is scheduled to begin on Tuesday and is expected to draw significant public and political attention as the UK’s arms export policy to "Israel" comes under renewed scrutiny.

A government spokesperson, while declining to comment on the ongoing legal proceedings, told the Financial Times that the UK remained “fully committed to upholding our responsibilities under domestic and international law.”

Read more: The government has been lying: UK caught in 'Israel' arms scandal

  • Israel
  • Gaza genocide
  • Israeli occupation
  • United Kingdom
  • UK arms sale

Most Read

An Israeli tank explodes following an ambush by al-Qassam Brigades in Gaza, Occupied Palestine, undated (Al-Qassam Military Media)

Al-Qassam strikes Israeli vehicles in Gaza, inflicts casualties

  • Politics
  • 30 Jul 2025
UAE lodges complaint against Israeli ambassador over 'misbehavior'

UAE lodges complaint against Israeli ambassador over 'misbehavior'

  • Politics
  • 1 Aug 2025
Protesters chant anti-Israeli slogans as they carry a banner that reads:" Freedom for Palestine, Alliance stop the war," during a demonstration in support of Palestinians in Gaza, outside the Israeli embassy, in Athens, Monday, June 9, 2025 (AP)

Athens mayor slams Israeli ambassador over Gaza war, graffiti claim

  • Politics
  • 3 Aug 2025
An explosion seen during an Iranian missile attack on Tel Aviv, Occupied Palestine, June 13, 2025 (AP)

If Iran is attacked again, geography of response may change: IRGC spox

  • Politics
  • 30 Jul 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
UN official rejects Netanyahu’s claim, cites Trump on Gaza hunger
Palestine

UN rejects Netanyahu’s claim, recalls Trump Gaza hunger admittance

Norway probes wealth fund’s ties to Israeli war crimes
Politics

Norway probes sovereign wealth fund’s ties to Israeli war crimes

Germany faces revolt over support for Israeli genocide in Gaza: NYT
Politics

Germany faces revolt over support for Israeli genocide in Gaza: NYT

Famine and bullets: Gaza aid lines become 'Israel's' killing fields
Politics

Relief at gunpoint: Gaza aid lines become 'Israel's' killing fields

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS