Amnesty International UK has expressed disappointment following today’s High Court ruling that the court found it did not have the constitutional authority to intervene in the Government’s policy of supplying spare parts for the F35 fighter jet for use by Israel in the occupied Gaza Strip. 

Amnesty will be considering the implications of the full judgment with more details to follow.

In response to the verdict, Sacha Deshmukh, Chief Executive of Amnesty International UK, said:

“We are disappointed by today’s ruling, but the court has been clear that while it does not have the authority to make a judgment on UK exports of F-35 arms parts, this does not absolve the executive and Parliament from their responsibilities to act.

“The UK has a legal obligation to help prevent and punish genocide and yet it continues to authorise the export of weapons to Israel despite the clear risks that these weapons will be used to commit genocide.

“The horrifying reality in Gaza is unfolding in full view of the world: entire families obliterated, civilians killed in so-called safe zones, hospitals reduced to rubble, and a population driven into starvation by a cruel blockade and forced displacement. These are not isolated tragedies; they are part of a systematic assault on a besieged population

“This judgment does not change the facts on the ground, nor does it absolve the UK government of its responsibilities under international law. The risk that UK arms may be used to facilitate serious international crimes remains alarmingly high. If the courts will not intervene, then the moral and legal burden on the Government and Parliament to act - before more lives are lost and further irreparable harm is done - is even greater.

“The UK must end all arms transfers to Israel if we are serious as a country about our commitments to international law and human rights.”

Interveners

The case, brought by campaigners seeking to halt UK arms transfers to Israel, highlighted the devastating impact of Israeli military operations in the occupied Gaza Strip - attacks that have led to the killing of tens of thousands of civilians, the destruction of essential infrastructure, and the forced displacement of over a million people. These exports have been linked to potential war crimes in Gaza, including bombings in Al-Mawasi, a designated safe zone where at least 90 people were reported to have been killed in a single attack.  

Amnesty International UK and Human Rights Watch intervened in the case, submitting extensive documentation and legal arguments demonstrating Israel’s sustained disregard for international humanitarian law, and underscoring the UK’s binding obligation under Article 1 of the Genocide Convention to act to prevent genocide.