UK's Lammy defends 'carve out' allowing F-35 exports to Israel
British Foreign Secretary David Lammy has defended the continued export of UK-made F-35 fighter jet components that could end up in Israel, saying that restricting the programme could “ground planes that are saving lives in other theatres”.
In Parliament on Monday, independent MP Zarah Sultana asked Lammy how the government’s stance, which she said was critical to Israel’s “genocidal assaults” in Gaza and Lebanon, “is consistent with the United Kingdom’s international obligations, including the Arms Trade Treaty”.
The MP for Coventry South also asked whether the UK government had engaged in discussions with the US government, Lockheed Martin or any F-35 partner countries about implementing tracking and tracing of UK-made components.
The Labour government suspended the export of UK-made F-35 components directly to Israel in September along with 29 other items deemed to be at risk of being used by Israel in violation of international humanitarian law in Gaza.
But it has said it cannot suspend UK-made components destined for Israel but going via third countries without undermining the global F-35 programme, specifically because it would be difficult to track the components across the programme’s complex supply chain.
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A spokesperson for the F-35 Joint Programme Office has told Middle East Eye that the F-35 supply chain is capable of “controlling material movement based on part/number configuration” but that no system is currently in place to do so.
Lammy responded that he stood by "our carve-out for F-35s, because there are other important theatres of conflict around the world that this House has discussed and will continue to discuss at length.
“I am not prepared to ground planes that are saving lives in other theatres, which is why we made this we made this decision, and I stand by it. It was the right decision.”
Lammy did not answer Sultana’s query about whether the government had held conversations with the US government or Lockheed Martin, prime contractor of the F-35, about initiating tracking and tracing.
Lammy's comments to MPs came in the face of the ongoing legal challenge against the government’s licensing of arms exports to Israel brought by Al-Haq, a Palestinian human rights organisation and the UK-based Global Legal Action Network (Glan).
The groups have threatened to apply for an interim relief suspension if they are not satisfied by the government’s reasoning over exempting the F-35 parts. If granted, this would result in a full suspension of arms exports to Israel pending further assessment.
The next hearing in the case is scheduled for 18 November.
His comments also come as the Ministry of Defence has said it would consider sharing war crimes evidence collected during RAF surveillance flights over Gaza with the International Criminal Court, with growing international outcry over Israel’s assault on northern Gaza.
Rights groups have described the offensive, launched on 5 October, as part of a plan to ethnically cleanse the area of Palestinians, warning that 400,000 Palestinians could starve to death as Israel continues to bar humanitarian aid and goods from the area.
In a statement to MPs, Lammy expressed frustration over the Israeli government’s ongoing restrictions on humanitarian assistance into Gaza for which he said there was “no excuse”.
“They must let more aid in now,” he said. “Aid is backed up at Gaza’s borders, in many cases funded by the UK and our partners but now stuck out of reach of those who need it so desperately.
“These restrictions fly in the face of Israel’s public commitments. They risk violating international humanitarian law. They are a rebuke to every friend of Israel who month after month have demanded action to address the catastrophic conditions facing Palestinian civilians.”
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