Al-Haq and GLAN said in a statement that they have filed an application to the High Court against the UK for its continued sales of military equipment to Israel.
In the statement, it was stated that their written requests for the suspension of arms sales to Israel, which violates international law and UK law, have been consistently ignored, and that the application to the court shared details of Israel’s attacks on civilians, civilian infrastructure, structures such as hospitals, bakeries, schools, food stores and water reservoirs where civilians take refuge, and its policies such as forced displacement and starvation.
By law, arms trade cannot take place when there is a clear risk of violating international law
Platforms such as the International Center for Justice for Palestinians (ICJP) and the Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) also supported the initiative, the statement said, adding: “Under the UK government’s Strategic Licensing Criteria, arms cannot be traded where there is a clear risk of violating international law. Israel’s policies and actions have led to indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks on civilians, killing thousands and destroying habitats. Protected areas such as hospitals, schools and food supplies have been repeatedly and deliberately targeted by airstrikes.”
The statement, which also pointed out that Israel has forced 1.6 million Gazans to be displaced, included statements by Israeli officials to destroy Gaza and to cut off the flow of water, food and energy to Gaza, and said: “According to legal experts, these statements reveal the genocidal intent to destroy the Palestinians as a nation.”
In the statement, it was reminded that the UK issues licenses for arms sales in different categories, and it was noted that the return of limited licenses issued since 2015 was 472 million pounds (17 billion pounds), while 58 unlimited licenses were issued.
“All countries must review arms sales to Israel”
The statement pointed out that a wide range of defense industry products ranging from ammunition to communication equipment, radars and unmanned aerial vehicles are sold to Israel, and included statements by GLAN and Al-Haq officials.
Gearoid O Cuinn, Director of GLAN, said that the humanitarian situation in Gaza has deteriorated to its current state due to war crimes and crimes against humanity.
“Recent statements by Israeli military representatives make it imperative for all countries to review their arms sales to Israel. There is no doubt that there is a risk that these weapons will be used for various criminal acts, possibly genocide.”
Dearbhla Minogue, one of GLAN’s lawyers, said: “No self-respecting country would want its weapons anywhere near Israel’s atrocities against Gazans. I wonder how the UK government will defend itself in the High Court.”
Ahmed Abofoul, a lawyer for Al-Haq, said that the UK has a moral and legal responsibility towards countries that commit atrocities with their weapons.
“Selling arms to Israel for the illegal settlement and apartheid regime violates these responsibilities and gives rise to individual criminal liability, including aiding and abetting and providing the means to commit these crimes,” Abofoul said.
Selling arms to Israel since 1967
According to CAAT data, the UK has been selling military equipment to Israel, which occupies the West Bank and East Jerusalem, since 1967.
According to CAAT, the UK financed 15 percent of the F-35s used by Israel in its bombardment of Gaza, and the value of the F-35 parts trade between the UK and Israel was at least £336 million (12.2 billion pounds).
Emphasizing that there are 6 different British companies involved in the F-35 project, CAAT explained that 2 companies sell rockets to Israel, while some companies, such as the Israeli defense industry company Elbit, are licensed to trade military equipment in the UK.
According to CAAT data, Teledyne, a manufacturer of air, land, sea and space radar systems, holds 134 licenses to sell military equipment to Israel.
