Banners calling for an end to arming Israel were raised during a demonstration last month in London (French)
The Supreme Court in London rejected a lawsuit to suspend the export of British weapons to Israel in light of the ongoing Israeli war on the Gaza Strip for more than 4 months, which resulted in tens of thousands of civilian casualties.
The Palestinian Al-Haq Foundation for Human Rights and the Global Legal Action Network coalition filed the lawsuit last December, and last January, those filing the lawsuit asked the Supreme Court to expedite a judicial review of the British government’s decision to continue selling military spare parts and weapons to Israel.
However, the lawyers who filed the lawsuit announced yesterday that the court had rejected it, and confirmed that they would appeal the decision.
The lawyers said in the lawsuit that the government of British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was ignoring its own rules in the war in the Gaza Strip after the government decided last December to continue granting arms export licenses to Israel despite the concerns expressed by officials in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs about what is happening. in Gaza.
British strategic licensing standards stipulate that weapons may not be exported if there is a clear risk that they could be used in violations of international humanitarian law.
The lawsuit, which was rejected by the Supreme Court, stated that London had been granted permission in the past few years to sell British weapons to Israel, including components for aircraft, ships, and military radars.
"License to kill"
The British newspaper The Guardian quoted the head of the Palestinian Al-Haq Foundation, Shawan Jabarin, as saying that the British government’s decision to continue supplying Israel with weapons effectively means enabling it to continue killing civilians, completely destroying the Gaza Strip, and turning its infrastructure into rubble.
The newspaper referred to court documents revealed last January that showed that legal advisors at the British Foreign Office did not conclude that Israel was committed to international law in its war on Gaza.
It is noteworthy that since the beginning of the war on Gaza on October 7, Britain has witnessed trade union and human rights movements to prevent the export of weapons to Israel.
In recent months, there have also been massive demonstrations denouncing "genocide" in Gaza and demanding an end to the supply of weapons to Israel.
Source: French + Guardian