UK has 'no legal justification' to continue licensing parts for Israeli F-35s, 30 MPs say

The UK government is justifying the continued sale of F-35 fighter jet parts which could end up in Israel through a legal provision that “has never been formally relied on” and one which likely requires parliamentary oversight, 37 MPs said on Friday.

In a letter sent to the foreign, business and defence secretaries, the MPs also said the UK has the autonomy to remove Israel from the list of approved recipients for the F-35.

“The government has admitted it cannot licence the direct transfer of F-35 components to Israel because of the clear risk of serious international humanitarian law violations,” they write. 

“But it has not suspended licences to export UK-made F-35 components to Israel as an end user via third-party countries including the United States. There are serious questions that we demand answers to about the legality and practical necessity of such an exemption.”

Last week, the UK announced the suspension of 30 licences for the export of arms to Israel over concerns that the weapons could be used in violation of international humanitarian law in Gaza.

Read more: UK has 'no legal justification' to continue licensing parts for Israeli F-35s, 30 MPs say