Emergency Legal Action to Halt Weapons Exports to Israel as ICC Issues Arrest Warrants
26 November 2024: Yesterday, Global Legal Action Network (GLAN) and Palestinian human rights organisation, Al-Haq, informed the government of their intention to file for ‘interim relief’ or 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 deadline for the government to reply is Friday 29 November at 4pm, after which time the legal action proceeds.
Rights groups have also warned UK ministers of their risk of criminal liability for failing to halt weapons to Israel. The case against the government continues.
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.”