UK court rejects Palestinian human rights group's claim UK is illegally arming Israel
Al-Haq, a Palestinian human rights group in the West Bank, had accused the British government of breaking domestic and international law in its decision to make F-35 parts exempt when it suspended some arms export licenses last year.
At the time, the government suspended roughly 30 of 350 export licenses for equipment — including parts for helicopters and drones — that was deemed to be for use in the Gaza war because of a 'clear risk' the items could be used to violate international humanitarian law.
Advertisement
An exemption, though, was made for some licenses related to components of F-35 fighter jets.
Israeli jets en route to conduct airstrikes in Iran last week.
IDF/GPO/SIPA/Shutterstock
Al-Haq was quick to take legal action over what they claimed was a 'deliberate loophole' — arguing the UK shouldn't keep exporting parts given the government's own assessment of Israel's compliance with international humanitarian law.
Advertisement
The government noted the components manufactured in the UK were sent to assembly lines in the US, Italy and Japan that supply partners — including Israel — with jets and spare parts.
In dismissing the group's challenge, High Court Judges Stephen Males and Karen Steyn ruled that the issue was one of national security because the parts were considered vital to that defense collaboration with the other countries.
They added it wasn't up to the court to tell the government to withdraw from the group just because of the possibility the parts would be handed over to Israel and possibly used to violate international humanitarian law.
'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,' the judges wrote in the hefty 72-page judgment.
Advertisement
Israeli jets in formation during last week's war with Iran.
IDF/GPO/SIPA/Shutterstock
The government said the ruling showed it had some of the most rigorous export rules in the world.
'We will continue to keep our defense export licensing under careful and continual review,' a spokesperson said.
Al-Haq, meanwhile, said it was disappointed with the ruling but stopped short of saying whether it would seek permission to appeal.
Advertisement
'Despite the outcome of today, this case has centered the voice of the Palestinian people and has rallied significant public support, and it is just the start,' Shawan Jabarin, general director of Al-Haq, said in a statement.
'We continue on all fronts in our work to defend our collective human values and work towards achieving justice for the Palestinians.'
With Post wires
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hill
18 minutes ago
- The Hill
Jeffries hammers Trump on Gaza, calls for increased aid
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) criticized President Trump over his handling of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, calling for an immediate ceasefire, increased aid to the war-torn enclave and the release of all remaining hostages held by the Palestinian militant group. 'During the first six months of Donald Trump's time in office, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza has reached a breaking point, hostages are still being held by Hamas despite the President's promise they would be released and the pre-existing ceasefire the administration inherited has been breached,' Jeffries said in a statement on Friday. 'The starvation and death of Palestinian children and civilians in an ongoing war zone is unacceptable.' 'The Trump administration has the ability to bring an end to this humanitarian crisis. They must act now,' he added. Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff said on Thursday that the U.S. will step away from peace negotiations in the region and is now considering alternative ways to free the hostages taken by Hamas during the Oct. 7, 2023, surprise attack on Israel. 'We will now consider alternative options to bring the hostages home and try to create a more stable environment for the people of Gaza,' Witkoff said in a statement. 'It is a shame that Hamas has acted in this selfish way. We are resolute in seeking an end to this conflict and a permanent peace in Gaza.' The Hill has reached out to the White House spokesperson for comment. Dozens of aid groups have warned that the Gaza Strip is on the brink of starvation, with one in five children being malnourished in Gaza City, according to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. Over 1,000 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli military while waiting in food lines, according to the UN. Israel has argued that Hamas, which is a U.S.-designated terrorist group, 'operates every day to create a perception of crisis.' U.S. allies, including Australia, the United Kingdom and France, have similarly sounded the alarm over humanitarian conditions in the strip and have called for more aid. The House Democratic leader also reupped his calls for a two-state solution in the nearly two-year conflict. 'It is imperative that humanitarian aid be surged into Gaza immediately, the remaining Israeli hostages be released and the ceasefire negotiated by the Biden administration restored. We need a just and lasting peace,' Jeffries said in his statement. 'Ultimately, that will only occur through a two-state solution that facilitates a safe and secure Israel living side by side with a Palestinian state that provides dignity, self-determination and prosperity for its people,' the New York Democrat added. To help out the Palestinians, Israel is allowing Jordan and the United Arab Emirates to air-drop aid packages into Gaza. The 2023 terrorist attack left some 1,200 Israeli's dead and roughly 250 hostages were taken captive. Nearly two years later, the Israeli military has killed more than 57,000 Palestinians, according to local health affiliates. That number does not distinguish between civilians and Hamas fighters.
UPI
an hour ago
- UPI
Trump delivers immigration message on Scotland visit
1 of 3 | President Donald Trump played golf in Scotland Saturday morning, teeing it up at his Trump Turnberry golf resort ahead of meetings with European lawmakers and delivering a message after leaving the White House on Friday (pictured). Photo by Will Oliver/UPI | License Photo July 26 (UPI) -- President Donald Trump played golf in Scotland Saturday morning, teeing it up at his Trump Turnberry golf resort ahead of meetings with European lawmakers and delivering a message. "I say two things to Europe: Stop the windmills. You're ruining your countries. I really mean it, it's so sad. You fly over and you see these windmills all over the place, ruining your beautiful fields and valleys and killing your birds," Trump told reporters after arriving on Friday. "On immigration, you better get your act together. You're not going to have Europe any more," he said. Trump is scheduled to discuss trade during a Monday meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Scottish First Minister John Swinney. He is also expected to meet with European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen during the four-day visit to Scotland. The delegation will start arriving Saturday and include European trade commissioner Maros Sefcovic, as well as von der Leyen, who Trump referred to as a "highly respected woman." U.S. officials and their EU counterparts are continuing attempts to reach a deal before an Aug. 1 deadline that will see 30% reciprocal tariffs take effect on all EU member states. The United States and Britain reached a deal in June on tariffs between the two countries, although Trump and Starmer were expected to iron out details during their meeting. Protestors demonstrated against Trump's visit in both Edinburgh and Aberdeen Saturday morning, including outside the Trump-owned golf course. He will also visit another of his privately-owned courses, Trump International Scotland in Aberdeenshire, during the trip. "We are really excited, across this whole weekend, there's so many campaign groups turning out in the streets, taking in action in their communities or at rallies like this. It's kind of like a carnival of resistance," demonstrator Anita Bhadani told the BBC outside of the U.S. Consulate General's office in Edinburgh Saturday, after helping to organize the Stop Trump Coalition. The coalition said its purpose is to "defeat the politics of Trumpism, and to promote an alternative, democratic vision of the world based on peace, social justice and international cooperation."
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
USAID analysis found no evidence of massive Hamas theft of Gaza aid
WASHINGTON, July 25 (Reuters) - An internal U.S. government analysis found no evidence of systematic theft by the Palestinian militant group Hamas of U.S.-funded humanitarian supplies, challenging the main rationale that Israel and the U.S. give for backing a new armed private aid operation. The analysis, which has not been previously reported, was conducted by a bureau within the U.S. Agency for International Development and completed in late June. It examined 156 incidents of theft or loss of U.S.-funded supplies reported by U.S. aid partner organizations between October 2023 and this May. It found 'no reports alleging Hamas' benefited from U.S.-funded supplies, according to a slide presentation of the findings seen by Reuters. A State Department spokesperson disputed the findings, saying there is video evidence of Hamas looting aid, but provided no such videos. The spokesperson also accused traditional humanitarian groups of covering up "aid corruption." A White House spokesperson, Anna Kelly, questioned the existence of the analysis, saying no State Department official had seen it and that it "was likely produced by a deep state operative" seeking to discredit President Donald Trump's "humanitarian agenda." The findings were shared with the USAID's inspector general's office and State Department officials involved in Middle East policy, said two sources familiar with the matter, and come as dire food shortages deepen in the devastated enclave. Israel says it is committed to allowing in aid but must control it to prevent it from being stolen by Hamas, which it blames for the crisis. The U.N. World Food Program says nearly a quarter of Gaza's 2.1 million Palestinians face famine-like conditions, thousands are suffering acute malnutrition, and the World Health Organization and doctors in the enclave report starvation deaths of children and others. The U.N. also estimates that Israeli forces have killed more than 1,000 people seeking food supplies, the majority near the militarized distribution sites of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), the new private aid group that uses a for-profit U.S. logistics firm run by a former CIA officer and armed U.S. military veterans. The study was conducted by the Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance (BHA) of USAID, which was the largest funder of assistance to Gaza before the Trump administration froze all U.S. foreign aid in January, terminating thousands of programs. It has also begun dismantling USAID, whose functions have been folded into the State Department. The analysis found that at least 44 of the 156 incidents where aid supplies were reported stolen or lost were 'either directly or indirectly' due to Israeli military actions, according to the briefing slides. Israel's military did not respond to questions about those findings. The study noted a limitation: because Palestinians who receive aid cannot be vetted, it was possible that U.S.-funded supplies went to administrative officials of Hamas, the Islamist rulers of Gaza. One source familiar with the study also cautioned that the absence of reports of widespread aid diversion by Hamas 'does not mean that diversion has not occurred.' The war in Gaza began after Hamas attacked Israel in October 2023, killing 1,200 people and capturing 251 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Nearly 60,000 Palestinians have been killed since the Israeli assault began, according to Palestinian health officials. Israel says Hamas diverts humanitarian aid Israel, which controls access to Gaza, has said that Hamas steals food supplies from U.N. and other organizations to use to control the civilian population and boost its finances, including by jacking up the prices of the goods and reselling them to civilians. Asked about the USAID report, the Israeli military told Reuters that its allegations are based on intelligence reports that Hamas militants seized cargoes by "both covertly and overtly" embedding themselves on aid trucks. Those reports also show that Hamas has diverted up to 25% of aid supplies to its fighters or sold them to civilians, the Israeli military said, adding that GHF has ended the militants' control of aid by distributing it directly to civilians. Hamas denies the allegations. A Hamas security official said that Israel has killed more than 800 Hamas-affiliated police and security guards trying to protect aid vehicles and convoy routes. Their missions were coordinated with the U.N. Reuters could not independently verify the claims by Hamas and Israel, which has not made public proof that the militants have systematically stolen aid. GHF also accuses Hamas of massive aid theft in defending its distribution model. The U.N. and other groups have rejected calls by GHF, Israel and the U.S. to cooperate with the foundation, saying it violates international humanitarian principles of neutrality. In response to a request for comment, GHF referred Reuters to a July 2 Washington Post article that quoted an unidentified Gazan and anonymous Israeli officials as saying Hamas profited from the sales and taxing of pilfered humanitarian aid. Aids groups required to report losses The 156 reports of theft or losses of supplies reviewed by BHA were filed by U.N. agencies and other humanitarian groups working in Gaza as a condition of receiving U.S. aid funds. The second source familiar with the matter said that after receiving reports of U.S.-funded aid thefts or losses, USAID staff followed up with partner organizations to try to determine if there was Hamas involvement. Those organizations also would "redirect or pause" aid distributions if they learned that Hamas was in the vicinity, the source said. Aid organizations working in Gaza also are required to vet their personnel, sub-contractors and suppliers for ties to extremist groups before receiving U.S. funds, a condition that the State Department waived in approving $30 million for GHF last month. The slide presentation noted that USAID partners tended to over-report aid diversion and theft by groups sanctioned or designated by the U.S. as foreign terrorist organizations - such as Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad - because they want to avoid losing U.S. funding. Of the 156 incidents of loss or theft reported, 63 were attributed to unknown perpetrators, 35 to armed actors, 25 to unarmed people, 11 directly to Israeli military action, 11 to corrupt subcontractors, five to aid group personnel 'engaging in corrupt activities,' and six to 'others," a category that accounted for 'commodities stolen in unknown circumstances,' according to the slide presentation. The armed actors 'included gangs and other miscellaneous individuals who may have had weapons,' said a slide. Another slide said "a review of all 156 incidents found no affiliations with" U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organizations, of which Hamas is one. 'The majority of incidents could not be definitively attributed to a specific actor,' said another slide. 'Partners often largely discovered the commodities had been stolen in transit without identifying the perpetrator.' It is possible there were classified intelligence reports on Hamas aid thefts, but BHA staff lost access to classified systems in the dismantlement of USAID, said a slide. However, a source familiar with U.S. intelligence assessments told Reuters that they knew of no U.S. intelligence reports detailing Hamas aid diversions and that Washington was relying on Israeli reports. The BHA analysis found that the Israeli military 'directly or indirectly caused' a total of 44 incidents in which U.S.-funded aid was lost or stolen. Those included the 11 attributed to direct Israeli military actions, such as airstrikes or orders to Palestinians to evacuate areas of the war-torn enclave. Losses indirectly attributed to Israeli military included cases where they compelled aid groups to use delivery routes with high risks of theft or looting, ignoring requests for alternative routes, the analysis said. (Reporting by Jonathan Landay; Additional reporting by Maayan Lubell in Jerusalem; Editing by Don Durfee and Claudia Parsons)
