UK court allows export of F-35 components to Israel
The High Court dismissed an argument brought forward last month by a human rights group called al-Haq that said the decision to allow UK to send the parts to Israel was unlawful and violates the UK's obligations under international law. I
Britain supplies the components to an international defence programme that produces and maintains the F-35 fighter jets.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Middle East Eye
an hour ago
- Middle East Eye
UK academic body accused of trying to force Palestinian scholar into Israeli court system
A Palestinian-American academic is taking his British employer to court after it attempted to force him to sue the organisation for wrongful dismissal in Israel instead of the UK. In 2023, the Council for British Research in the Levant (CBRL) Kenyon Institute in East Jerusalem fired Toufic Haddad, a leading scholar in Palestine Studies, who was employed as the institute's director, citing funding cuts from the British Academy. Haddad believes the CBRL unfairly dismissed him because of political discrimination linked to his scholarly work and public position on Palestine, where he has opposed Israel's war on Gaza and its ongoing clampdown against Palestinian academics. He noted that these actions came in the wake of the 7 October attacks, when trustees of the CBRL called on Haddad to "maintain a low profile and not talk to the media". Following his dismissal, the CBRL, a UK-registered academic institute publicly funded by the British Academy and British government and based in London, attempted to block Haddad's unfair dismissal claims by insisting that an Israeli court hear his claim instead of a British one. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Haddad's legal team is contesting the move to hear his case in Israel by providing a 50-page witness statement, backed by more than 3,000 pages of evidence, to prove that his employment is more closely connected to the UK than to Israel. The CBRL, which has an office in Jordan, is not a registered entity in Israel or the occupied Palestinian territories from where it operates. However, when they decided to hire Haddad, they gave him an Israeli contract despite giving British contracts to its other directors in Amman. Unfair dismissal claim Haddad is now attempting to take the CBRL to a British court for unfair dismissal and discrimination based on his anti-Zionist political beliefs and trying to deny jurisdiction to UK courts in favour of Israel. He is contesting the move to try his case in Israel over concerns that Israel's legal system - which rights groups have criticised for being discriminatory towards Palestinians - will not give him a fair hearing because of his Palestinian background. 'CBRL has a professional, moral and historical duty in the context of the Israeli genocide and scholasticide unfolding in Gaza. Instead, it tried to silence me and then sacked me' - Toufic Haddad Since 1967, Israel has illegally occupied East Jerusalem and imposed a military occupation that is deemed illegal under international law. Unlike Israeli citizens, Palestinians living in Jerusalem are issued permanent residency cards by the Israeli state but not full citizenship. These residency cards can be revoked at any given time by Israel, making their legal status precarious. 'CBRL has a professional, moral and historical duty in the context of the Israeli genocide and scholasticide unfolding in Gaza. Instead, it tried to silence me and then sacked me," Haddad told Middle East Eye. "What happened to me exposes rotten interests and instincts within CBRL, British academia and its funding structures, which questions their commitment to academic freedom, labour rights, and human decency.' The European Legal Support Centre (ELSC) and the University and Colleges Union (UCU) are supporting Haddad's case. British institutions 'complicit' Tasnima Uddin, a spokesperson for the ELSC, said the case "lays bare the complicity of British institutions still operating in Palestine today. UK police arrest Israeli academic Haim Bresheeth after pro-Palestine speech Read More » "CBRL is trying to silence a Palestine academic; it is asking a British court to hand him over to Israel's apartheid legal system, legitimising annexation and racial domination that the International Court of Justice has ruled illegal." Sean Wallis, who serves as the London region secretary for the UCU, said Haddad's case represents a wider issue on worker's rights for academic staff employed at British research institutes and universities overseas. "The British government says that academic freedom is essential for universities, and the British academy trumpets its defence of academic freedom," said Wallis. "Dr Haddad was dismissed, and the research institute he was the director of was shut down because he spoke out about his area of research, which is Palestine studies. "So it is shocking to see a British Academy-backed research institute engaging lawyers to prevent Dr Haddad exercising his right to argue his case in the UK courts."
Middle East Eye
6 hours ago
- Middle East Eye
Fuelling the ‘machinery of genocide': Morocco's backdoor support for Israel's war on Gaza
Passing by Morocco's ports, it is impossible not to notice Maersk dominating the shipping containers. The heavy presence of the Danish company in the North African country's harbours might not be overly intriguing, if the international logistics giant was not known for shipping military equipment to Israel amid its war on Gaza. Morocco has become a crucial location on the arms route that facilitates shipments of military cargo to Israel, especially through Maersk. This includes components of F-35 jets, which have fuelled Israel's attacks on Palestinians. A recent report by Declassified UK and the Irish investigative news outlet The Ditch delved into Morocco's role in transferring the components of F-35 fighter jets via Maersk. The report specified a shipment in April, saying the jet equipment set sail from the port of Houston, in the United States. Two weeks later, the US-flagged Maersk Detroit arrived in Tangier, Morocco, where the cargo was transferred onto another container ship named Nexoe Maersk. The shipment travelled through the Mediterranean Sea before arriving at the Israeli port of Haifa. The military cargo was then transported to the Nevatim air base, a key launchpad for the Israeli air force to bomb Gaza. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters When the allegations were made in April, public outrage in Morocco spread. Protesters turned out in the thousands at the ports of Casablanca and Tanger Med, while at least eight dock workers resigned over the contested Maersk shipments. There are conflicting reports regarding when similar cargos started to dock in the kingdom, but Moroccan ports became an attractive option on the transfer route after two Maersk cargos were prevented from docking in Spain in November due to suspicions that they were carrying weapons to Israel. Instead, they docked at the Tanger Med port, which also triggered protests in Morocco. Alejandro Pozo, researcher on peace, armed conflicts and disarmament at Centre Delas, told MEE that arms transfers to Israel via the Spain-Morocco route are considered 'regular traffic and have not stopped', according to the databases that the Spanish independent research centre has accessed. Amid the recent controversy, Maersk released a statement in March saying it 'upholds a strict policy of not shipping weapons or ammunition to active conflict zones, ensuring compliance with international regulations'. A Maersk representative also told Declassified UK that Maersk Detroit and Nexoe Maersk 'are carrying containers with F-35 parts. However, these shipments are destined for other countries participating in the F-35 programme'. The F-35 jets programme 'relies on a complex network of international partners and suppliers across multiple countries,' the Danish group added in June. 'Hiding behind wording' The company acknowledged however its contracts with the US government through the participation of its US-flagged subsidiary, Maersk Line Limited (MLL), in the Maritime Security Programme (MSP). This programme, which Maersk joined in 1996, requires companies to make ships available to the US authorities for a large sum of money to transport equipment for wars. Subsequently, the shipping company becomes a facilitator of the arms transfer process. 'Of course, a government can know what is inside a shipment container - if they want to know, that is' - Alejandro Pozo, researcher at Centre Delas Through Maersk's support of US policy, its contracts include shipping cargo to over 180 countries 'under security cooperation programs, including also the transportation of civilian and military-related cargo to Israel,' the company statement from March reads. Maersk told Danish outlet Danwatch that the voyages of its ships to Israel were 'not part of the MSP', but of another military programme under US authorities. However, a report by Centre Delas highlighted (in annex four) that vessels on the route were part of the MSP. In the annex, Delas listed the MSP shipments to help identify the vessels that are likely to transport weapons to Israel. According to the centre, MSP shipments that commonly stop in Morocco and southern Spain indicate the onward journey to Israel. For Pozo, the protests occurred for certain shipments because the information became public, not because they were the only occasions. Morocco has stayed silent on its involvement in arms transfers to Israel. For many observers, this silence itself on the topic is suspicious. 'Of course, a government can know what is inside a shipment container - if they want to know, that is,' Pozo told MEE. Israeli flag flies in Morocco during military drill, sparking indignation Read More » Those implicated in arms transfers 'hide behind wording', he added, for example saying 'military equipment or components'. The wording the expert mentioned is similar to the terminology Maersk uses in its statements. Pozo also emphasised that although the Spanish government had stopped three shipments, due to public pressure, 'Spain has not imposed any administrative measures, including sanctions against arms transfers to Israel'. MEE has contacted Maersk, the Moroccan Port Authority and the ministry of foreign affairs to find out their ethical stance on the matter considering the devastating impact that arms have in Gaza. MEE also wished to understand exactly the quantity of arms that Maersk is transporting via Morocco to Israel, why Morocco has become a key location on the route and for how long Maersk has been transferring arms to Israel via this specific route. No reply had been provided by the time of publication. Moroccan-Israeli interdependence The Palestinian Youth Movement said in November 2024 that Maersk 'shipped millions of pounds (lb) of military goods to the Israeli military from the US, across more than 2,000 shipments' over 12 months starting in September 2023. The majority of Israel's arms capacity results from imports, especially from the US, according to Zain Hussain, a researcher in the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) Arms Transfers Programme. 'Israel is heavily reliant on arms imports for its war in Gaza and its military actions in other states in the region' - Zain Hussain, researcher at SIPRI Since taking office, the Trump administration has approved nearly $12bn in major foreign military sales to Israel. 'Israel is heavily reliant on arms imports for its war in Gaza and its military actions in other states in the region,' Hussain told MEE. 'Having reliable and secure routes of transfer of arms and components is incredibly important for Israel, and the support of certain states is key in making that happen,' he added. Pozo hypothesised why Morocco is a stable location on the arms transfer route via the Strait of Gibraltar. 'I can only assume one of the reasons is geographical location,' he said, adding Morocco's proximity to the US allows for 'efficiency in logistics and saving energy costs'. An alternative route would be to go around Africa and access via the Red Sea, a longer, more expensive, and dangerous itinerary, Centre Delas explained in its report. Morocco accused of using Israeli weapons to kill civilians in Western Sahara Read More » Another key factor, the researcher mentioned, is Morocco's dependence on Israel for military equipment, as illustrated by the kingdom's recent move to select Israel's Elbit Systems as one of its main weapons suppliers. Morocco normalised ties with Israel in December 2020 as the kingdom joined the Abraham Accords under President Donald Trump's first term, in exchange for the US and Israel recognising Moroccan claim of sovereignty over the contested region of Western Sahara. Since then, cooperation between the two countries has flourished, including in the military field. Morocco has been accused of using arms to support its ongoing conflict with the Polisario Front, a Sahrawi independence movement that is backed by neighbouring Algeria. 'Israel and the US know Morocco will cooperate, there is also the political aspect that the US recognised Western Sahara as part of Morocco, which adds another dimension to this cooperation,' Pozo said. 'Betrayal' Unlike Spain, Morocco did not stop some of its shipments when met with public protests. A Moroccan activist at the local branch of Amnesty International, who prefers to remain anonymous, told MEE how 'painful' it was for her 'to witness that [her] country is connected to the machinery of genocide in Palestine'. 'The public wants Morocco to cut ties with Israel and to take a firm, unapologetic stance against occupation and apartheid' - A Moroccan activist For the activist, resistance goes beyond politics, 'it's about our humanity and moral responsibility [...] Every bomb dropped, every child buried under rubble, should shake us to our core,' she said. 'The public wants Morocco to cut ties with Israel and to take a firm, unapologetic stance against occupation and apartheid,' she added. 'At Amnesty, we work to expose these violations and demand accountability. And I say this with love for my country but also with the courage to hold it accountable. We must demand transparency. We must speak up. Because silence in the face of genocide is not neutrality. It's betrayal.' She mentioned how there is a 'constant threat of repression' against pro-Palestinian activism in the kingdom, despite Morocco regularly releasing statements of support for the Palestinian cause. Morocco: Pro-Palestine activists denounce increased state repression Read More » Twenty activists have been arrested and sentenced to jail since 2021, according to data by the Moroccan Front for the Support of Palestine and Against Normalisation - a coalition that brings together some 20 associations, unions and political parties - and the number of arrests has been accelerating since the start of Israel's war on Gaza in October 2023. One expert from Carnegie, who wishes to remain anonymous, told MEE that 'despite the scale and visibility of protests, they have not yet led to a substantial shift in policy'. However, quoting a recent statement by the opposition Justice and Development Party (PJD) that reiterated 'the party's criticism of normalisation' and the necessity of a 're-alignment' of the kingdom with the overwhelming pro-Palestinian position of Moroccans, the expert outlined the possibility of a change to come. 'Public sentiment can have a constraining or cumulative effect, especially when it intersects with issues of domestic legitimacy, or fuels opposition discourse and mobilisation,' they said.
Gulf Today
6 hours ago
- Gulf Today
UK police probe Bob Vylan's festival chants against Israeli military
British police launched a criminal investigation Monday into a televised performance at the Glastonbury Festival by rap punk duo Bob Vylan, who drew intense criticism after they led crowds of music fans in chanting "death' to the Israeli military. Meanwhile. the U.S. State Department said it has revoked the U.S. visas for Bob Vylan, who were set to go on tour in the United States later this year, after their "hateful tirade at Glastonbury.' Rapper Bobby Vylan - who until the weekend was relatively little known - led crowds in chants of "free, free Palestine' and "death, death to the IDF" - the Israel Defense Forces - on Saturday at Britain's biggest summer music festival. The BBC said it regretted livestreaming the performance. "The antisemitic sentiments expressed by Bob Vylan were utterly unacceptable and have no place on our airwaves,' the broadcaster said, adding that it "respects freedom of expression but stands firmly against incitement to violence.' British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and U.K. politicians condemned the chants, saying there was no excuse for such "appalling hate speech.' Bobby Vylan of British duo Bob Vylan crowd surfing while performing on the West Holts Stage on the fourth day of the Glastonbury festival at Worthy Farm in the village of Pilton in Somerset, south-west England. AFP Avon and Somerset Police said Bob Vylan's performance, along with that by Irish-language band Kneecap, were now subject to a criminal investigation and have been "recorded as a public order incident.' Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza has inflamed tensions around the world, triggering pro-Palestinian protests in many capitals and on college campuses. Israel and some supporters have described the protests as antisemitic, while critics say Israel uses such descriptions to silence opponents. Ofcom, the UK's broadcasting regulator, said it was "very concerned' about the BBC livestream and said the broadcaster "clearly has questions to answer.' The BBC said earlier in its defense that it had issued a warning on screen about "very strong and discriminatory language' during its livestream of Bob Vylan's act. US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said the visas for Bob Vylan's two members - who both use stage names for privacy reasons - have been revoked. "Foreigners who glorify violence and hatred are not welcome visitors to our country,' Landau said in a social media post Monday. Starmer said the BBC must explain "how these scenes came to be broadcast.' Bob Vylan perform on the West Holts Stage, during the Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm. AP Bob Vylan, which formed in 2017, have released four albums mixing punk, grime and other styles with lyrics that often address issues including racism, masculinity and politics. In a statement posted on social media, singer Bobby Vylan said he was inundated with messages of both support and hatred. "Teaching our children to speak up for the change they want and need is the only way that we make this world a better place,' he wrote. Bob Vylan performed on Saturday afternoon just before Kneecap, another band that has drawn controversy over its pro-Palestinian stance. Kneecap led a huge crowd in chants of "Free Palestine' at the festival. They also aimed an expletive-laden chant at Starmer, who has said he didn't think it was "appropriate' for Kneecap to play Glastonbury after one of its members was charged under the Terrorism Act. Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, who performs under the stage name Mo Chara, was charged with supporting a proscribed organization for allegedly waving a Hezbollah flag at a concert in London last year. On Saturday a member of the group suggested fans "start a riot' outside his bandmate's upcoming court appearance - though he then said "No riots, just love and support, and support for Palestine.' The BBC had already taken a decision not to broadcast Kneecap's Glastonbury performance live, though it did make available an unedited version of the set to its festival highlights page on BBC iPlayer service. The Israeli Embassy to the UK said over the weekend it was "deeply disturbed by the inflammatory and hateful rhetoric expressed on stage at the Glastonbury Festival.' The acts were among among 4,000 that performed in front of some 200,000 music fans this year at the festival in southwest England. Hip hop duo Bob Vylan attend the 25th MOBO Awards in London, Britain November 30, 2022. File/Reuters Israel has faced heavy international criticism for its war conduct in Gaza. In May, the U.K., France and Canada issued a sharply worded statement calling for Israel to stop its "egregious' military actions in Gaza and criticizing Israel's actions in the occupied West Bank. More than 6,000 people have been killed and more than 20,000 injured in Gaza since Israel ended a ceasefire in March. Since the war began in October 2023 with a Hamas attack on Israel, Israeli attacks have killed more than 56,000 people and injured 132,000, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. It doesn't distinguish between civilians and combatants, but has said that women and children make up more than half the dead. Israel says it only targets militants and blames civilian deaths on Hamas, accusing the militants of hiding among civilians, because they operate in populated areas. Associated Press
