UK threatened with emergency ban of arms exports to Israel after ICC warrants
Rights groups challenging the UK government over weapons sales to Israel say they are seeking a court order to halt all arms exports after the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defence minister Yoav Gallant.
In a letter sent on Monday, the Palestinian human rights organisation Al-Haq and the UK-based Global Legal Action Network (Glan) warned the British government that it is "now arming suspected war criminals who have been indicted by the world’s pre-eminent criminal court".
The groups highlighted that the ICC's three judge pre-trial panel found that there were reasonable grounds to believe that, amongst other alleged crimes, both men intentionally starved civilians in Gaza for at least eight months.
They also pointed to findings that the leaders had intentionally limited or prevented medical supplies from getting into the Gaza Strip, forcing doctors to operate and carry out amputations, including on children, without anaesthetics.
Earlier this month, the groups threatened to seek a court order that would halt all UK arms exports to Israel if the government did not stop exporting British-made components for F-35 fighter jets via third countries.
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They now say they will pursue the order, giving the government until 4pm this Friday to suspend the export of F-35 components before they file for the emergency injunction.
Al-Haq spokesperson Zainah el-Haroun said the ICC arrest warrants "add to the insurmountable evidence that British weapons, particularly F-35 components, are being used to commit international crimes, including genocide".
'A two-way arms embargo on Israel should be implemented immediately'
Zainah el-Haroun, Al-Haq spokesperson
"A two-way arms embargo on Israel should be implemented immediately, to prevent British arms being used by indicted war criminals for further serious violations against Palestinians," she said.
Charlotte Andrews-Briscoe, a lawyer with Glan, said: “It is unconscionable that the UK continues to allow British-made components for F-35s to be used in Israel’s extermination campaign against Palestinians.
"For 13 months, Glan and Al-Haq have argued that weapons sales to Israel are unlawful. When will it be enough? Does the UK government have any red lines?”
The Department for Business and Trade declined to comment, citing ongoing litigation.
On Monday, fielding questions about the arrest warrants, Middle East Minister Hamish Falconer said the suspension of 30 arms export licences to Israel announced in September would be kept under review.
"We will consider the findings of the ICC in relation to that assessment," Falconer told MPs.
It is unclear how long it would take for a judge to make a decision once Glan and Al-Haq apply for the order, but the groups said they would be requesting urgent processing.
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