Why the UK Government was Taken to Court Over Arms Sales to Israel

Political Quarterly and Anna Stavrianakis

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But there was a big loophole. Parts and components for F-35s would be excluded because they play “an important role in the maintenance of global peace and security.”

A legal case was brought against UK arms exports by Palestinian human rights organisation Al Haq and the Global Legal Action Network, claiming that licensing arms sales to Israel was unlawful given they were being used to commit genocide in Gaza.

But on 30 June 2025, two High Court judges refused Al Haq’s case, accepting the government’s arguments.

As part of growing opposition to UK support for Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, Palestinian human rights organisation Al Haq and the Global Legal Action Network brought a legal case against UK arms exports. It said that the government’s ongoing licensing of arms sales to Israel was unlawful, given the risk that the weapons might be used in serious violations of international humanitarian law (IHL) against Palestinians, including genocide in Gaza.

On 30 June 2025, two High Court judges refused Al Haq’s case. They decided that some of the legal issues were not justiciable in a UK court and that it was not for judges to second-guess the decisions made by the government. They also accepted at face value the government’s claim that the risks to international peace and security of halting arms sales overrode the risks to Palestinians of continuing them.

How did this perverse situation come about?

Is the UK selling arms to Israel to use in Gaza?

Israel has used all the conventional weapons at its disposal in its war on Gaza since October 2023. Its main arms supplier, by an enormous margin, is the USA; the UK plays a secondary but significant role. It is not possible to know the true value of UK arms exports to Israel but they are significantly higher than the government claims. UK industry provides at least 15% of the parts for every new F-35 combat aircraft manufactured, as well as parts for the global spare parts pool for the aircraft. The F-35 has become particularly controversial in the war: for example, Israel used F-35s on 18 March 2025 when it broke the ceasefire, killing over 436 Palestinians in one day.