UK Government Sued Over Arms Exports to Israel in Gaza War

A group of NGOs, including Al-Haq, Global Legal Action Network (GLAN), Amnesty International, Oxfam, and Human Rights Watch, has lodged a legal case in the London High Court. The case aims to prevent the UK government from issuing arms export licenses to British companies selling weapons to Israel, which are being used to commit a genocide in the ongoing war in Gaza.

A member of GLAN's legal team highlighted the extensive evidence of mistreatment and abuse by Israeli forces. Charlotte Andrews-Briscoe, a barrister involved in compiling and submitting the evidence, stated that the overwhelming number of atrocities committed by Israeli forces limited the collection of witness statements.

The legal case includes over 100 pages of testimony from 14 witnesses, including Palestinians and international medical professionals who worked in Gaza's hospitals. Witnesses included doctors, ambulance drivers, civil defense workers, and aid personnel. While most witnesses remained anonymous for safety reasons, two names were disclosed: Ben Thomson, a Canadian kidney specialist, and Khaled Dawas, a consultant surgeon at University College Hospital London.

Thomson testified about treating patients subjected to severe mistreatment by Israeli forces, including a man forced to stand for 48 hours and another who had been stripped and bound for three days. He also described the dire conditions in Gaza’s hospitals, where children died due to the lack of essential medicines. “Every part of the healthcare system has been targeted and destroyed,” Thomson stated.

Dawas described the medieval-like conditions in hospitals and the impact of sniper fire on his patients. He questioned Israel's justification for attacking hospitals, noting that during his time at al-Aqsa hospital, he did not encounter any militants. He also recounted the mistreatment of a disabled Palestinian man detained by Israeli forces.

One unnamed witness described how he and other doctors were bombed in a so-called safe house, an event that discouraged NGOs from sending more humanitarian workers. Despite assurances from British diplomats that the attack would be addressed at the highest levels, the medical team received no follow-up from the UK government.

UK officials downplayed the significance of British arms exports to Israel, with former Defense Secretary Grant Shapps stating that such exports amounted to £42 million ($53 million) last year. However, anti-arms campaigners argue that the true value could be much higher due to the opaque nature of open licenses.

British arms manufacturer BAE Systems reported record profits in 2023, partly due to the conflict in Ukraine and Israel's onslaught in Gaza. BAE Systems supplies key systems for the Israeli Air Force's fighter jets, including electronic missile launching kits and heads-up display technology for F-16 aircraft. Additionally, 15% of the F-35 fighter jet is manufactured in Britain, with significant contributions from US giant Lockheed Martin.

The UK, along with the US, Germany, and Italy, remains a key supplier of weapons to Israel, which has killed more than 40,000 Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip since it launched its genocidal war against the densely-populated Palestinian enclave in early October.