Our challenge to the export of weapons to Israel for use in Gaza has reached its critical, final stage. The High Court has now set a date for the trial: it will be for four days starting on 12 May 2025. We urgently need to build a groundswell of support to get this case over the line in this final push and we cannot do this without your help.

The case now focusses on the Government’s decision to continue granting licences for F-35 fighter jet parts, even though it admits that there is a clear risk that those weapons might be used to violate International Humanitarian Law, on the basis that stopping the licences would be damaging to international peace and security. The Government says that the interests of international peace and security is a “matter of such gravity that it would have overridden any [...] further evidence of serious breaches of IHL”.

GLAN and Al-Haq don’t accept this. We told the government at a hearing on 31 January 2025 that “national security considerations cannot trump genocide, war crimes, or crimes against humanity.” The government is effectively saying that there is no red line when it comes to the supply of F-35 components – in other words, no amount of suffering or war crimes would make them stop supplying them. 

This case is about ensuring that Britain complies by its own policies on the export of weapons and does not contribute to war crimes or breaches of International Humanitarian Law.

We cannot get this case over the line without your help.

We are therefore launching a new crowdfunder to enable us to do what is needed to get this case over the line. Please join us at our newly launched crowdfunder page: here.

Yesterday, we got word that this case is progressing and the High Court ruled that a hearing should be set in May. 

We're now moving into the final push, and we're more determined than ever to make sure that the government is held accountable. 

The government's September decision to (1) keep supplying F-35 parts to Israel indirectly (the 'F-35 carve out') and (2) keep supplying equipment that the government did not assess were capable of being used in the conflict in Gaza - despite finding that Israel is not committed to complying with international humanitarian law.

Jennine Walker, GLAN lawyer, said: "if even clear evidence of genocide will not stop the UK government from supplying weapons to Israel, what will? Actions speak louder than words. The UK continues to supply weapons that it accepts Israel might use to kill Palestinian people. This must not be allowed to continue. Finally, over a year after this case was started, a court will decide Al-Haq and GLAN's legal challenge." 

We've only been able to get this case to this point because of your support. Our team is working around the clock. Now that we are entering the final phase and preparing for the full hearing, we need to build a ground-swell to ensure that this case gets over the line. 

Would you consider chipping in to ensure that the UK is held accountable for their weapons exports to Israel? 

With news of a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, you might be wondering whether this case will be proceeding.  

While news of the ceasefire is welcome, Israel’s attempts to eliminate Palestinians from their land are likely to continue after Israel and Hamas call a truce – now is the time to keep up the pressure. Efforts to hold companies and government officials accountable for complicity must be supported.  

Violence against ordinary Palestinians across the occupied territories has dramatically escalated in the last 15 months with dispossession and killings in the West Bank increasing sharply; it is the culmination of a decades long brutal military occupation of Palestinian lands by Israel, recognised by the international community as illegal. This was again confirmed by the International Court of Justice’s Advisory Opinion in July 2024. The ceasefire does not address this fundamental issue. 

GLAN and Al-Haq will continue to challenge all UK weapons exports to Israel which are used to commit or facilitate violations of international law in both Gaza and the West Bank. We must not look away – now is the time to stand with Palestinians and keep a spotlight on Israel’s unlawful occupation. 

Earlier this week, together with Al-Haq, we responded to the Government’s final submission before the Court decides a hearing date and on which legal arguments can be taken forward.  

In its ‘grounds of resistance’ the Government laid out its position on the remaining arms licences to Israel and the global F-35 programme, the key points were: 

• The Government accepts that there is a clear risk that Israel might commit a serious violation of international humanitarian law, including through the use of F-35 fighter jets. 

• Despite this risk the Government has again decided to continue to supply components for F-35s into the global spares pool which could be used by Israel to commit serious violations of international humanitarian law. 

• The Government’s justification for this decision is that it would be damaging to international peace and security if the UK were to suspend its export of F-35 components into the global spares pool. The Government say that these ‘exceptional circumstances’ are a ‘good reason’ not to follow its own licensing criteria for exporting weapons – and international legal obligations. 

• The Government says that the interests of international peace and security is a “matter of such gravity that it would have overridden any [...] further evidence of serious breaches of IHL”. This clearly is an extreme position, effectively saying that there is no red line when it comes to the supply of F-35 components.  

 The court will now decide how the case will proceed, and we have requested a 5-day hearing before April.  

We’ll update you as soon as the Court sets a date for hearing.  

The last time we updated you we said that on foot of the recent ICC arrest warrants issued for Benjamin Netanyahu, Yoav Gallant and Ibrahim Al-Masri, we had written to the government urgently to warn that unless they replied within the deadline, we would be filing an urgent injunction with the UK High Court over their failure to revoke all arms export licenses and crucially over 'material errors of law'. 

The government did, in fact, reply stating that they are reviewing the remaining exports of weapons and weapons parts, including F35s. We await the outcome of this review, and we continue to press on with our groundbreaking legal challenge to hold the government to account for their complicity as genocide unfolds before our eyes.  

As our case moves through the courts and our expert legal team is working around the clock, we are also pursuing other advocacy strategies, to ensure that our work has the most possible impact. Last week GLAN briefed the UK Parliament’s Business and Trade Committee on the government’s ongoing legal obligations to halt the export of weapons that are used for atrocity crimes. 

We will be back in court in early 2025 where we will receive a new date for the full hearing of our case. Watch this space.  

Yesterday, together with Al-Haq, we informed the government that we will filing for an emergency injunction with the UK High Court over their failure to revoke all arms export licences and crucially over 'material errors of law'.

This comes as the International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu, Yoav Gallant and Ibrahim Al-Masri. The court said there were reasonable grounds to believe Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant were criminally responsible for acts including murder, persecution and starvation as a weapon of war as part of a "widespread and systematic attack against the civilian population of Gaza".

The government has until 4pm on Friday November 29th to reply, at which point if we haven't heard from them, our action will move forward. 

Here's what the team has to say: 

Lawyer with GLAN, Charlotte Andrews-Briscoe 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. As of Thursday, the UK is now arming suspected war criminals who have been indicted by the world’s pre-eminent criminal court. 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?”

Al-Haq spokesperson, Zainah El-Haroun said, “The latest arrest warrants issued against Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Gallant for the commission of war crimes and crimes against humanity 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, to prevent British arms being used by indicted war criminals for further serious violations against Palestinians.”

I'll update you after Friday as we move forward on an urgent basis. 

Yesterday the UK admitted in court that Israel is not committed to complying with international humanitarian law.  

Together with Al-Haq, we exposed several failures in the government’s decision-making over arms exports to Israel in the latest step in our ground-breaking case.  

I’ve promised to keep you updated every step of the way. Here are the key takeaways from our court appearance yesterday:  

1. In court, the government was forced to admit that “Israel is not committed to complying with international humanitarian law” by its own assessment. 
2. We revealed that the government waited 5 weeks to act on its own assessment that UK weaponry was at risk of being used in a way that seriously violated international humanitarian law. What does this mean? In the weeks between making this assessment and finally making the decision to suspend exports, at least 1,716 Palestinians were killed by Israel in Gaza (according to UNOCHA).  
3. It’s clear that the government has chosen political expediency over the lives of Palestinians. The government explicitly said, ‘The risk to the UK/US relationship’ was a key factor in deciding to continue with F-35 exports. 
4. Since August the government has refused to disclose information on weapons decisions and the F35 exemption. The Court has asked the government to comply with disclosure, meaning they must explain their decision-making process and rationale for continuing to supply F-35 components to Israel. 
5. In court, the UK government was forced to confirm that their position is that Israel is not committed to complying to IHL.
6. Together with Al-Haq we asked the government in open court whether the UK has any red lines when it comes to the support of weapons to Israel. This opportunity to clarify was not taken. We will be moving ahead with fresh legal action on this matter.   

The appearance yesterday was mostly procedural in nature, but significant progress was made and it’s clear that we have built a very strong case. We won’t stop this work until the government are held accountable and ALL weapons and weapon parts going to Israel are halted. A date for the final hearing will be set in early January, so watch this space.  

In October David Lammy said that evaluating Israel’s attack on Gaza in terms of genocide “undermines [the] seriousness” of the term. This is fundamentally untrue. Newsflash to Lammy - together with Al-Haq we're suing the govt for its incorrect interpretation of its obligation to prevent genocide. 

We'll see them in Court tomorrow.

As we watch in horror as the atrocities in Gaza continue, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed and hopeless. We have a concrete action that YOU can take to make a huge difference. By contributing to this crowdfund, you're making our legal battle to hold the government to account possible.

In just 5 days, on Monday 18 November, we will be back in Court with Al-Haq to continue our legal challenge demanding that the government suspend UK exports of F-35 fighter jet parts that could be used by Israel as they commit atrocity crimes in Gaza.

This case is a true David v Goliath battle and Monday will be a breaking point. Contributions to this crowdfund are what make this case possible, and as our formidable team work around the clock to get it over the line, we are in urgent need of support. 

If you're able at this time, any amount, no matter how small, goes toward ensuring that the government are held to account. 

Last Friday, together with Al-Haq, we warned Government Ministers and the Prime Minister of their criminal liability over exports of F-35 parts that can still reach Israel via the global F-35 programme. Yesterday we learned that this is on the agenda for discussion at the Labour party conference this week.

The deployment of F-35s by Israel has been repeatedly confirmed, including their role in dropping 2000 lb bombs on densely populated areas of Gaza. Our letters come just after 39 UN experts warned 'international order is on a knife's edge'.

Ministers are now formally on notice - if they continue to facilitate transfers of F-35 fighter jets they could potentially be indicted for aiding and abetting war crimes. UK officials cannot expect impunity for providing material assistance to a state credibly accused of genocide.

We are working around the clock to pursue accountability and a halt to all weapons exports. The UK has an obligation to uphold international law and do all that it can to prevent genocide. 

We have made a breakthrough.  

We cornered the government, leaving them with no option but to suspend weapon exports to Israel for use in Gaza. Out of 350 licenses 30 have now been suspended. This is a start, but we must push harder for a complete suspension if we are to end the UK’s involvement in the deaths of more than 40,000 Palestinians. 

The partial suspension came immediately after GLAN and Al-Haq filed a letter threatening the Government with new proceedings, and less than 24 hours before a crucial hearing in the High Court.  

Despite these ‘suspensions’, the government have actively excluded some of the most destructive weapons from their suspension list and are taking advantage of loopholes to keep profiting from genocide. F-35 fighter jet components, (15% of the whole jet), are made in Britain and sent to the USA to build this killing machine which are then sent to Israel. The loophole allows the UK to supply weapon parts to third party states even if the government know the weapons will used to commit atrocities. 

F-35 fighter jet components are still being sold and used in heinous attacks.  Israel used F-35 fighter jets to drop 2000lb bombs on densely populated areas in Palestine. Three days ago, the NGO Danwatch linked F35s to Israel’s 13 July attack on an Israeli-designated ‘safe zone’ in southern Gaza, killing 90 people & injuring at least 300. 

In Court on Tuesday, we asked for more information on why the F-35 programme is being exempted. This will enable our team to push for a full suspension. We have another hearing date for 18th November. 

Our stance remains.  November is not soon enough.  We will continue filing requests for immediate and complete suspension of weapon sales to Israel.  

We've been updating you about the incredible work that our legal team is doing ahead of our October hearing. They're working around the clock to build the strongest possible case, all thanks to your support. 

*drum roll please* here are the members of our formiddable team! We are so grateful for and inspired by their work and determination. They are each working so hard to ensure that UK weapons exports to Israel are halted. 

Al-Haq is represented by Dearbhla Minogue and Charlotte Andrews-Briscoe of Global Legal Action Network and supervised by Alice Hardy at Bindmans. They have instructed a team of barristers comprising: Phillippa Kaufman KC, Blinne Ní Ghrálaigh KC, Luke Tattersall, Jagoda Klimowicz, Rayan Fakhoury, Zac Sammour, Aislinn Kelly-Lyth, Aliya Al-Yassin, and Courtney Grafton. 

We'll keep updating you as they continue their work and as the hearing date approaches. Thank you again for your support. 

On Labour’s 50th day in office, we have written a joint letter with Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT), International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP), and War on Want condemning the government’s failure to suspend export licences for arms transfers to Israel. 

Every day that this government fails to take action, the UK is materially and politically supporting Israel’s genocide against Palestinians.  

Last week, Ministers signing off on arms export licences were served hundreds of pages of legal evidence and testimony of the innumerable violations of international law committed by the Israeli government when we filed our full case. 

The only legal and moral option available to the government in the face of this evidence is to immediately halt all arms export licences for transfer to Israel. They must not wait until our hearing in October.  

In this past week alone, massacres have been committed by Israel through airstrikes on schools and tent encampments sheltering displaced civilians and on one of the last functioning markets, a site essential for civilian survival, in Deir al-Balah, Gaza. Such scenes of intolerable suffering and inhumanity are ensured by each day of governmental inaction. 

How much longer will Palestinians have their humanity denied and human rights violated with the support of our government? We’re keeping the pressure on, but we need your help.  

Last Friday, we filed our full case with the Court. Now, our team will be working tirelessly to make sure they’re prepped for the hearing this autumn – it's truly crunch time!  

As part of the filing, we gathered reams of first-hand evidence of the atrocities that are unfolding in Gaza. To be perfectly honest, these witness accounts were worse than we could have even imagined.  

We’ve submitted witness statements giving evidence of: 

• Torture of civilians, including medical personnel 

• The targeting of aid personnel and ambulances  

• Attacks on clearly marked journalists in broad daylight  

• Attacks on patients in the cancer wards of hospitals, including releasing military dogs on them 

• Aid workers having to dig through rubble with their bare hands to recover survivors and bodies  

• Starvation and infection running rampant 

The UK’s role in this genocide simply cannot be allowed to continue. We’re going to Court to ensure that it ends, but we really can’t do it without your support.  

Yesterday, together with five other rights organisations, we sent a letter the newly elected government demanding immediate action to end UK complicity in Israel’s ongoing atrocity crimes, including genocide. 

New Foreign Secretary David Lammy previously called on his predecessor David Cameron to publish the government’s legal advice on UK arms exports, “Given the gravity of the situation in Gaza, the degree of public and parliamentary interest and the risks to the credibility of the UK’s export controls regime, there is a compelling case to publish the government’s legal advice,” Lammy wrote in a letter to Lord Cameron, the former foreign secretary.  

We now urge this government to put these words into action. 

GLAN Lawyer, Charlotte Andrews-Briscoe said, “The new Labour government’s calls for a ceasefire are meaningless while it continues to arm Israel. British weapons have killed too many Palestinians. This government knows that the only lawful and moral decision is to stop arming Israel. They also know that they have an obligation under the Genocide Convention to use every tool at their disposal to prevent the commission of genocide. Britons have voted for change: this government must deliver that change.” 

The letter makes clear the UK’s domestic and international legal obligations to halt the export of military equipment and weapons to a state accused of war crimes, supported by reference to recent evidence of widespread manufactured famine and the ongoing grave violations of international law that Israel is committing in Gaza. This week WHO declared “Everyone in Gaza” is now “at risk of getting sick and dying” and we now know that a minimum of 38,193 Palestinians have been killed and 87,903 Palestinians injured in Gaza; over 20,000 children have been killed by Israel, or are still missing, with these horrifying numbers increasing every day. The Lancet now warns that the number of Palestinians killed could reach 186,000 people. 

Meanwhile, it’s full steam ahead prepping our case against the government for their ongoing export of arms to Israel. Our legal team is working around the clock.  

This advocacy and legal work can’t continue without your support. Would you consider sharing this crowdfund to show that you stand with the people of Gaza?  

GLAN’s legal team are still hard at work prepping our case against the UK government for their continued export of weapons to Israel but it’s not only the government that could face legal action as arms companies themselves also have a legal duty to comply with international law.

This week GLAN and partner organisations sent letters to the directors of 20 UK arms companies warning them that they could face criminal liability if they continue selling military equipment to Israel.

GLAN Senior lawyer, Dearbhla Minogue said, "Individuals transferring weapons to Israel are exposed to criminal liability, plain and simple. The fact that they are hiding behind a licensing system which is unfit for purpose will not protect them if and when they face a jury of their peers, because ordinary people can see through politicians' obfuscation."

We’ve set out in detail the legal frameworks which expose these directors to criminal liability, supported by extensive evidence of the grave violations of international law that Israel has committed in Gaza.

UK rules demand that where there is a clear risk weapons could be used in unlawful attacks exports must be stopped. Israel has so far killed over 15,000 children, with potential use of British made weapons; these letters make it clear that we will be pursuing criminal accountability for companies complicit in the ongoing atrocity crimes in Gaza. 

Donations to this campaign will help to stop arming Israel.  

Huge news! We got word yesterday that our hearing is in the court diary for 8, 9, and 10 October! This is a significant win for GLAN as the government has continuously attempted to delay this case further into the autumn. Yesterday, the Court also decided that Oxfam will be allowed to apply as an intervener and Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International will be allowed to participate.  

In the meantime, a June 28th deadline for our legal team to re-file our case and our evidence in response to the government’s pleadings (which we received on Monday) is fast approaching and the team is hard at work gathering evidence to ensure that our case is iron-clad and ready for hearing in the autumn.  

This is an all-hands-on-deck situation, we have a strong team of legal interns and volunteer investigators who believe in our case so much that they have come on board to give their time to ensure we are able to submit as much evidence of the atrocities in Gaza as possible. They’re hard at work collating open-source evidence and ploughing through incident reports, alongside GLAN’s expert team of lawyers.  

It’s inspiring to see such dedicated people who believe in GLAN’s case, and we’re so grateful to have them.  

At GLAN we are working to put forward a nearly indisputable claim that proves what common sense is already telling us: these weapons exports must stop. 

This case isn’t possible without your support. As things heat up, please continue to support and share this crowdfund to make sure we have the capacity to make the case as strong as it can possibly be. 

On Friday, the ICJ issued an Order that Israel must “immediately halt its military offensive and any other action in the Rafah governorate which may inflict on the Palestinian group in Gaza conditions of life that would bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part.” Israel’s offensive in Rafah has also been condemned by numerous international entities and countries, including the UK. 

"Since the ICJ’s Order on Friday Israel has launched over 60 air raids in Rafah. Israeli forces are shelling tent camps in designated safe zones. Yesterday, Israeli tanks reached the centre of Rafah. These are heinous, flagrant violations of international law. Some of the children being killed in tents as they sleep are undoubtedly being killed with British weapons. When will it be enough? When will the UK stop sending arms to Israel? This government has Palestinian blood on its hands." Charlotte, GLAN Lawyer. 

Our team continue to push the UK to stop turning a blind eye to their participation in the assault on Gaza. We have been updating the Government with regular situational reports, briefing MPs on the urgency of the situation and informing parliamentary committees about legal obligations of the UK. Please continue to support and share our Crowdfunder and help end arms sales to Israel. 

You’ll remember that on the 19th of February, our claim, filed with Palestinian partners Al-Haq, challenging the UK government’s failure to halt weapons exports to Israel, was initially dismissed in the High Court.  

We are happy to update you that our claim was revived and expedited during yesterday’s oral hearing in the UK High Court. With your support we were able to ensure that a representative from Al Haq was able to attend and participate. A full hearing is now expected in October.  

While it’s a significant win that this case has been revived and expedited, yesterday was also the latest in a series of government actions that have sought to delay this case being heard.  Yesterday, the government’s lawyers shifted strategy and requested that some of their evidence only be shared in closed, secret proceedings due to national security. Our team won’t have access to that evidence and the process slows things down. Meanwhile, the situation in Gaza gets more and more dire with every day that passes.  

Important new information also came to light. Court documents revealed that on the 8th of April, a week after three Israeli airstrikes on the World Central Kitchen aid workers, a decision by the UK to continue arms exports to Israel. Remarkably this decision was based on out-of-date information and only considered events between 2 December 2023 to 28 January 2024. 

Court documents also revealed that the UK government can make additional urgent assessments on Israel’s compliance with international humanitarian law “where circumstances require”. It would appear however that such an assessment was not conducted, even after Israel’s attack on WCK aid workers. According to the UN at least 357 humanitarian-run sites and convoys in Gaza whose coordinates had been shared in advance were hit before the WCK attack. 

Dearbhla Minogue, Senior Lawyer at GLAN, says:  

"The UK government has stretched legal reasoning to the point of absurdity in order to arm a country that is committing grave violations of international humanitarian law. The Government seems to be making this process as painstakingly slow as possible. Given the urgency of the situation in Gaza the Government should listen to the international legal consensus and halt weapons sales now." 

Ahead of the hearing in October, GLAN’s team will be working tirelessly to ensure that our case is ironclad, and the government is held accountable for these weapons exports. Every effort needs to be made to end complicity in the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza.  

We’re now in the most important period for this case as our team prepares for the full hearing and we need a huge injection of capacity. We can’t do this work without you. Would you consider chipping in and sharing this crowdfund? 

You might remember that a judge initially decided not to grant our case permission to be heard, and that we were working to get that decision reconsidered.

We now have a date confirmed for the hearing. On 23rd April we’ll be asking a judge to green light our case through an oral permission hearing in the High Court.

The hearing comes as the UK government refuse to confirm if they have taken recent legal advice from government lawyers on the legality of arms sales. Last week ex-Supreme Court justices, including the court’s former president Lady Hale, are among 600+ lawyers, academics, and retired senior judges who warned the government that they are breaking international law. They say that not only should the Government suspend licenses (the subject of our case), but it should also be doing much more to prevent the unfolding genocide.

Since January, we have submitted six factual updates to the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, for the purposes of her ongoing assessment with respect to arms sales to Israel. We have sent these updates via the Government Legal Department, in the context of ongoing litigation. This means that the Government cannot deny knowledge of the role that these weapons are playing in the unfolding genocide.

We want to bring our Palestinian partners to the UK to stand with us in court.  We’re working tirelessly to progress this case and hold Government accountable, but our legal costs are mounting as we do so.  Will you consider sharing news about this crowdfund to ensure that this work continues?  

A few weeks ago, we let you know that we were appealing the Court’s decision not to hear this legal challenge. We have been tirelessly working behind the scenes and we can confirm that this week the UK courts have said that an oral permission hearing in our case MUST occur before April 26th.  

In addition, this week a recording of Alicia Kearns MP claiming that “the Foreign Office has received official legal advice that Israel has broken international humanitarian law” was leaked. This is potentially very significant for our case, and we have written to the government with Al-Haq seeking confirmation that this statement is true.  

The ‘duty of candour’ in judicial review proceedings, like this case, requires that the government disclose all relevant information and facts, even where it undermines their case. If the government’s legal assessment has found that Israel is breaking International Humanitarian Law, Al-Haq has the right to know. Concealing this legal advice is likely in breach of their obligations to court.  

As part of this legal challenge, we have, since January, submitted 6 factual updates on the situation in Gaza to the Secretary of State for Business and Trade to inform the ongoing assessments of arms sales to Israel. This means that the government cannot legally claim not to have knowledge of the incidents detailed within our updates. We will be publishing these updates next week, so watch this space!  

We are also working to launch a platform which brings together online open-source evidence in a format that can be used to aid war crime investigations. Yesterday, we submitted the first round of this evidence to the government. The Gaza genocide is playing out on social media, and it is the government’s obligation to scrutinise that in real time.  

We are working hard to ensure that they do, but we can’t continue this work without your support.  

GLAN and Al-Haq were invited to the Houses of Parliament by Richard Burgon MP and Imran Hussain MP to brief parliamentarians about this legal challenge, arms exports rules, and violations of international law, as part of a series of sessions with expert speakers sharing information with MPs on the situation in Gaza and Israel's conduct.  

This session looked at UK arms sales to Israel and why these should be suspended to meet the UK’s legal responsibilities, not least in light of the International Court of Justice ruling, given the clear risk these may be used in serious violations of international law. 

More than 20 MPs and Lords attended to hear from GLAN’s legal team, the UN Special Rapporteur on counterterrorism and human rights, and speakers from our Palestinian partners Al-Haq and Campaign Against Arms Trade.  Dearbhla Minogue, GLAN Senior Lawyer, told the room:  

“What would be enough? The answer appears to be that there is no red line – the criteria are absolutely meaningless when the people applying them are prepared to engage in abuses of language to maintain the flow of weapons. The government’s system is robust at one thing only – ensuring continued flow of weapons. 

Language can be stretched to justify absolutely anything, but in the end, there are objective facts which will be judged by history, just as they have been by international criminal courts from Nuremberg to the ad hoc tribunals and the ICC.” 

MPs were keen to learn more about our case and the situation in Gaza, asking for more information on our case which had not been shared openly with MPs from the government’s legal team.  We heard about multiple instances of war crimes, and of Gazans breaking their Ramdan fast with contaminated water, and of countless people starving.  

We will not stop this work until the UK government is held accountable for their role in the continued arming of Israel, but we can’t continue to do this work without your support.  

In our last update, we told you that we would be appealing the High Court’s dismissal of our case with Palestinian partners Al-Haq challenging UK weapons exports to Israel. On 23rd February GLAN lawyers filed that appeal and asked that a hearing be expedited.  

There is international legal consensus that arms exports to Israel must stop. On the same day we filed our appeal, over 40 UN experts released a statement confirming that ‘any transfer of weapons or ammunition to Israel that would be used in Gaza is likely to violate international humanitarian law and must cease immediately.’ 

The urgent need for an arms embargo on Israel is heightened by the International Court of Justice’s ruling on 26 January 2024 that there is a plausible risk of genocide in Gaza and the continuing serious harm to civilians since then. The Court made it clear that states should do everything to prevent genocide – the UK is choosing to do the opposite.  

Recently a decision has been taken by government that the RAF will no longer help Israel with technical difficulties in its F-35 jets until the war in Gaza ceases. This raises more questions than answers. Why is technical support being halted but not the supply of weaponry? This clearly shows that the government accepts that there is a risk that Israel’s military is breaching international law, which we argue should result in Britain stopping weapons exports to Israel.  

Pressure to halt these exports is mounting, and we are headed back to Court to ensure that government is held accountable. Will you help us spread the word and build support for these efforts? 

A High Court judge has just ordered that our case against weapons sales to Israel should not proceed to full hearing.   

The decision comes as Israel continues its brutal assault on trapped civilians in Rafah, plans for further forced displacement of Gaza’s population and restricts humanitarian aid resulting in mass starvation.  

Under the UK government’s Strategic Licensing Criteria, weapons may not be exported where there is a ‘clear risk’ they might be used in serious violations of international law. The International Court of Justice has found the situation for civilians is so dire there is now a real and imminent risk of genocide occurring, declaring states should do everything they can to prevent this.  The UK has done the opposite - they are sending more weapons to the Israel military.  

Several other states have done the right thing.  Spain, Italy, and the Netherlands have already stopped weapons exports to Israel.  Yet the UK still refuse to accept that their weapons are also being used to harm innocent civilians unlawfully.  

The Court decided it is not even arguable that the government acted unlawfully in finding that there is no clear risk that British weapons are being used in violation of international humanitarian law.  Since 7th October 30,000 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli offensive, including 12,300 children, and tens of thousands injured and denied basic medical care; a further 8,000 people are missing under the rubble. We have submitted extensive evidence showing that British weapons could have contributed to these deaths. 

In addition to dismissing the case the court has ordered our Palestinian partners to pay £29,000 to cover the government’s legal costs.  This cannot hold us back.   

This is no time to back down. We will not stop pressuring the court to suspend all weapons sales to Israel.  We now have 7 DAYS to respond to the court and ask for an “oral permission hearing” to review this outrageous decision.  If we succeed this case will get the hearing it deserves.  

With each step, our legal costs are mounting.  We need support to maintain momentum. Please continue to support our plight to protect the people of Palestine from further harm. 

Did you know that UK industry provides 15% by value of the US-made F35 stealth combat aircraft currently being used in the bombardment of Gaza? In the next phase of our challenge against the arms trade, we’ve written to the heads of arms companies responsible for building the weapons being used in Gaza.  We have put them on notice highlighting their criminal liability. This means that down the line, should there be criminal proceedings later, they cannot claim ignorance. These letters could have a really significant impact – they mean that before of a jury of their peers, these companies will not be able to hide behind sham licenses or carefully drafted corporate statements. 

We’ve also published previously unseen documents from the case. The documents reveal that despite overwhelming evidence of Israeli war crimes in Gaza and though there were major concerns internally in the Foreign Office about Israel’s behaviour, government made the active decision to continue arms exports to Israel.  

The last time we updated you, we were awaiting the government’s full response to our case demonstrating a clear risk that British weapons are being used in the commission of atrocities against civilians in Gaza. We just received that response, and it’s unacceptable.   

What did the govt say?  

The UK govt confirmed they did four 'risk assessments’, including writing to Israel in November regarding a limited number of issues. Israel's response claims it is committed to complying with international law, however they declined to respond to specific incidents in the government's letter and gave no meaningful justification for restricting food, water & medical supplies to Gaza. The UK government has shockingly accepted this inadequate response despite evidence of extensive violations of international law. The government's response does not address the core issues of the case or provide evidence that Israel is, in fact, complying with international law. They also shockingly claim that this is not a case of ‘general public importance.’   

This is unacceptable.  

 What's next?  

There is a clear risk that British weapons might be involved in the atrocities against civilians in Gaza. We are preparing for our High Court challenge to end UK arms exports to Israel now. The govt must comply with UK rules and international law.  

The UK government has provided an initial response to our case filed with the High Court on 6th December. Our case demonstrates a clear risk that British weapons are being used in the commission of atrocities against civilians in Gaza.

The government confirmed to us they ‘reviewed’ export licences to Israel on 18 December. However, despite evidence of blatant violations of international law and the acute risk of genocide, the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, Kemi Badenoch, decided to continue permitting weapons exports to the Israeli military. This shocking decision comes as South Africa launched a case at the International Court of Justice alleging that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza.

We are now awaiting their full response, before the papers will be put before a judge to decide whether the case can go ahead on a fast-tracked timeline given the urgency of the situation.

In the meantime, we are preparing.

Thank you for your on-going support as we continue the fight to ensure the UK government complies the law, and ends its complicity in Israel's war crimes.

Holding the government accountable 

This week we briefed MPs attending yesterday's debate on UK arms export licences for sales to Israel, to help ensure they could properly scrutinise the government.

MP for Birmingham Hall Green, Tahir Ali, raised our case with Al-Haq, and reiterated the legal obligation that the government has to ensure weapons sales are stopped saying, "it is abundantly clear...that there is more than 'clear risk' Israel is using these weapons provided by the UK to commit atrocious crimes against Palestinian people... shame on us all...that our government has been complicit"

Government lack of action exposed

MPs were particularly scathing of the government's lack of compliance with international law; John McDonald MP said "we become complicit in those war crimes and that's the reality of where we are at the moment".

There were strong calls for government transparency on what exactly is being sent to Israel, and what, if any, evidence does the government have to demonstrate that Israel is complying with international law. 

Continued refusal to comply with international law

The government continued to claim that the exports licensing process is 'one of the most rigorous in the world' but still will not confirm it has made the 'proper assessment' on whether British made weapons have been used in attacks on innocent men, women and children in Gaza.

If the government doesn't conduct assessments due to the changing situation and comply with its own licensing laws, how rigorous they are on paper is irrelevant.

What's next?

As we prepare for court your support is crucial. We will also continue to engage with MPs to hold the government accountable; your help makes all the difference.

Watch the debate and share our Twitter / X thread on the debate. Please continue supporting and sharing our crowdfund far and wide, we could not do this work without you - our strength lies in your solidarity!

UK Secretary of State, responsible for approving arms licenses, has ignored our repeated demands to stop all arms sales to Israel.  We have been forced to go directly to the High Court, calling on them to intervene and ensure all arms sales to Israel are suspended. 

The claim we filed yesterday contains evidence of indiscriminate attacks on civilians, starvation, forced displacement, and the serious risk of genocide.  Our joint filing with Palestinian partners, Al-Haq asks the court to review the legality of the governments’ export licenses.  We have no doubt these weapons have been sold with a clear risk of intent to cause harm – a violation of international humanitarian law.  

Given the urgency of the situation in Gaza, we have asked the court to respond in 6 weeks and are preparing for a hearing in the coming months. 

Israel’s continued onslaught on Gaza has killed more than 16,000 people so far, most of whom are civilians.  This should have been enough for the government to stop selling arms, but it was not.   

Stand with us as we prepare to stop this in court.  Please continue to support and share our crowdfund. 

Photo source: Simon Walker / No 10 Downing Street. Licensed under the Open Government Licence.

The UK’s Department for Business and Trade still hasn’t complied with our request to halt weapons exports to Israel. They’ve commented publicly that they have no plans to halt those arms licences.

More than 10,000 Gazans have been killed, almost half of those are children. Yet, the UK still thinks it is acceptable to continue selling arms and fuelling the relentless assault on civilians.

We have just submitted a final warning, demanding that weapons sales are immediately halted. This letter gives the British government one last chance to assess their own contributions to the war crimes taking place and suspend arms licenses.

If they continue to ignore our request, we will be elevating our complaint to the High Court who have the power to officially declare the weapon sales unlawful.

Continue supporting us and help bring the arms trade to a halt.

There is no time to lose.

Thank you,

The GLAN team