• 'There is much more to be done. Oxfam calls for a suspension of all weapons to Israel.' says Oxfam official
  
  

LONDON 

The Royal Courts of Justice in London heard a case on Monday challenging continued arms shipments to Israel in response to a legal challenge filed by the Global Legal Action Network (GLAN) and the Al-Haq organization.

Human rights activists protested outside the court against the government's ongoing arms shipments to Israel.

❝They’re continuing the export of F-35 fighter jet components, and we know that these fighter jets are being used by Israeli forces to attack civilians in Gaza❞

Protesters rallied outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, calling on the British government to end arms… pic.twitter.com/wdCtYgFJnv

— Anadolu English (@anadoluagency) November 19, 2024

The Global Legal Action Network (GLAN) and the Al-Haq organization petitioned the Royal Courts of Justice to stop the UK government from continuing arms shipments to Israel.

Campaigners from Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and Campaign Against Arms Trade, which have joined the Al-Haq and GLAN in challenging the UK's licensing of arms transfers to Israel, gathered outside the courthouse before the hearing.

Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have intervened in the case, providing evidence to the government and the High Court of Israel's failure to comply with their obligations under international humanitarian law, as well as numerous examples of Israeli violations of international humanitarian law.

On Sept. 2, the British government announced that it was suspending 30 out of its 350 arms export licenses to Israel after a review, warning that there is a clear risk that certain UK arms exports to Israel might be used to commit or facilitate a serious violation of international humanitarian law.

The 30 licenses cover components for military aircraft, helicopters, drones, and items that facilitate ground targeting, excluding UK components for the F-35 fighter jet program.

However, many groups and politicians have criticized this announcement, saying it is not enough compared to the overall 350 military and dual-use licenses for Israel.

Tom Guha, Amnesty International UK's crisis response campaigner, told Anadolu that arms exports need to be stopped if there is a clear risk that they will be used to commit or facilitate serious violations of international law.

"Day in and day out, we see what the Israeli army is doing in Gaza, in the West Bank, and elsewhere, so that is why we are calling on the government to stop the flow of these arms exports," he noted.

Recalling the suspension of 30 out of the 350 arms licenses, Guha said the British government believed that "it is enough; it clearly is not enough."

"They took that step, and since then we continue to see day in and day out the destruction of hospitals, the destruction of schools, and the demolition of civilian infrastructure," he said.

Stressing that in addition to only suspending some of the arms export licenses, the export of F-35 fighter jet components from the UK to Israel continues, he said these fighter jets are being used by Israeli forces to attack civilians in Gaza.

"That's why we are here to stop this trade, stop those weapons reaching the Israeli army, and ultimately to put an end to human rights violations that we see every day," added Guha.

'All weapons need to be suspended'

Bushra Khalidi, Oxfam's policy lead for Palestinian territories, also told Anadolu that all arms sales to Israel should be suspended due to what has been happening in the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7, 2023.

Regarding the exclusion of F-35 fighter jet parts from the suspended licenses, she noted that the Israeli Air Force has carried out many ethnic cleansing campaigns.

"Therefore, 30 out of 350 licenses have been suspended, which is a welcome step, but it is not enough," Khalidi said, noting that F-35 parts do not count as partial suspension.

She stressed, "There is much more to be done. Oxfam calls for a suspension of all weapons to Israel."

Pointing out that even the risk of violation of international law is enough to stop arms transfer, Khalidi went on to say there is no need to prove that a war crime has been committed to suspending arms.

"That is why Oxfam has been calling for the suspension of all arms," she said, adding that from its perspective as a humanitarian NGO on the ground, it sees a clear risk.

Stressing the forced transfer of the entire civilian population in the north also constitutes a war crime; therefore, it is enough to meet the obligation to suspend arms as a result, added Khalidi.

In an ongoing, 13-month offensive on the Gaza Strip, Israeli forces have killed nearly 44,000 people and injured over 103,000 others, most of them women and children, while leaving the enclave all but uninhabitable and cutting off most food, water, medicine, and humanitarian aid. Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its actions in Gaza.