Campaigners from Amnesty International UK and Human Rights Watch will assemble outside the High Court on Monday 18 November (9:30 am) ahead of a hearing in the ongoing legal challenge by Al-Haq and the Global Legal Action Network to the UK’s licensing of arms transfers to Israel.

Amnesty and Human Rights Watch have intervened in the case, providing evidence to the Government and the High Court of the Israeli authorities’ lack of commitment to comply with their obligations under international humanitarian law, and numerous examples of Israeli breaches of international humanitarian law. This evidence can be viewed here and here.

On Monday morning, the human rights campaigners will assemble for a photo-opportunity at the steps of the High Court holding a giant “Stop Arming Israel” banner.

In September, the Foreign Secretary David Lammy announced that the Government was suspending around 30 licences for use in the current conflict in Gaza - out of 90 licences for goods going directly to the Israel Defense Forces. These suspensions - a small number of the overall 350 military and dual-use licences for Israel - were welcomed by Amnesty and Human Rights Watch, but the move nevertheless fell far short of the full suspension of UK arms to Israel that Amnesty and Human Rights Watch have both called for. 

Both organisations have raised particular concern about the Government’s decision to exempt the F-35 fighter jet programme from the suspension, which allows UK-made components for F-35s to continue to be sent to Israel via the USA and third countries despite clear evidence that F-35s are being used by Israel in Gaza.  

The one-day hearing on 18 November is expected to set out the parameters of the substantive legal challenge which will then be heard at a later date.  

Sacha Deshmukh, Amnesty International UK’s Chief Executive, said:

“It should never have required a legal challenge to the Government over its arms to Israel policy, but if ministers won’t uphold international law of their own accord then there was little choice.

“Evidence of Israeli war crimes and other violations in Gaza and the West Bank is overwhelming. All UK arms transfers to Israel need to be halted immediately - with no exemptions and no loopholes.”

Yasmine Ahmed, Human Rights Watch UK Director, said:

“The Government is in court defending the indefensible. It is long overdue that the UK suspend all arms licences to Israel.

“If the Government is committed to international law, it must immediately end the legal acrobatics it is employing to argue it’s lawful to continue supplying F-35 fighter jet components indirectly to Israel.

“International law is not discretionary and failing to adhere to it consistently not only risks the lives of innocent civilians, but weakens the entire system, not just in the Middle East but in Ukraine, Sudan and every other conflict.” 

Event details

What: human rights campaigners’ ‘Stop Arming Israel’ photo-opportunity with giant banner 

Who: Yasmine Ahmed, Human Rights Watch UK Director; Tom Southerden, Amnesty International UK Law & Human Rights Director, and others 

Where: Royal Courts of Justice, The Strand, London WC2A 2LL

When: Monday 18 November 2024, 9:30 am