The Court of Appeal in London has denied the Palestinian Arab NGO Al-Haq permission to appeal a ruling that upheld the UK’s decision to allow indirect exports of F-35 fighter jet components to Israel.
Al-Haq, based in Judea and Samaria, had sought to overturn a decision by the Department for Business and Trade, which in 2023 exempted F-35 parts from a broader suspension of arms export licenses amid concerns over their potential use in Gaza. The UK government had acknowledged that Israel was not committed to complying with international humanitarian law but allowed the continued supply of F-35 components, which are pooled and available for Israeli use.
Last month, Al-Haq applied to the Court of Appeal after the High Court dismissed its challenge in June. The Court of Appeal ruled that matters of national security and arms exports were for the government to decide, stating that it was entitled to weigh security interests against the humanitarian law assessment.
The High Court had earlier found that then-Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds faced a stark choice: accept the carve-out for F-35 parts or risk the UK’s participation in the international F-35 program and the resulting diplomatic and defense implications.
The ruling came as Israel and Hamas reached a ceasefire agreement last month involving the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. In a related development, a Dutch appeals court recently upheld a decision to dismiss a case seeking to block the Netherlands from exporting arms to Israel and trading with Israeli communities in disputed territories.