Britain’s High Court has ruled that the government’s decision to allow the export of Lockheed Martin F-35 jet parts to Israel is lawful despite accepting that they could be used in breach of international humanitarian law, Al Jazeera reported.
In a 72-page ruling on Monday, Judges Stephen Males and Karen Steyn said the case was about a “much more focused issue” than just the jet parts.
“That issue is whether it is open to the court to rule that the UK must withdraw from a specific multilateral defence collaboration … because of the prospect that some UK-manufactured components will or may ultimately be supplied to Israel, and may be used in the commission of a serious violation of international humanitarian law in the conflict in Gaza,” the ruling said.
“Under our constitution, that acutely sensitive and political issue is a matter for the executive, which is democratically accountable to Parliament and ultimately to the electorate, not for the courts,” it added.
Currently, the United Kingdom contributes components for F-35s to an international defence programme that produces the bombers.
But Palestinian human rights organisation Al-Haq, based in the occupied West Bank, took legal action in January against the UK’s Department for Business and Trade (DBT) over its decision to exempt the parts when it suspended some export licences in September last year.
During a hearing in May, Al-Haq said the government’s decision to send the jet parts was unlawful as it “gives rise to a significant risk of facilitating crime”.
The same month, Defence Secretary John Healey said suspending it would affect the “whole F-35 programme” and have a “profound impact on international peace and security”.
After Monday’s ruling, Shawan Jabarin, the chief of Al-Haq, said, “Despite the outcome of today, this case has centred the voice of the Palestinian people and has rallied significant public support, and it is just the start.”
bd-pratidin/GR
