Over 200 Civil Society Groups Urge F-35 Fighter Jet Producing Nations to Stop Supplying Israel Over Gaza Genocide
Gaza (Quds News Network)- More than 200 civil society organizations worldwide have called on F-35 fighter jet producing nations to “immediately halt all arms transfers to Israel,” expressing concerns that these jets have been used to commit serious violations of international law during the Gaza genocide.
The letter, signed by 232 civil society organizations, was sent on Monday to government ministers in Australia, Canada, Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, the US, and the UK as the Israeli assault in Gaza reached 500 days, the Guardian reported.
Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and Oxfam are among these organizations.
The letter, coordinated by the Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT), reads: “The past 15 months have illustrated with devastating clarity that Israel is not committed to complying with international law.”
“Partners to the F-35 program have individually and collectively failed to prevent these jets from being used to commit serious violations of international law by Israel.”
It adds: “States have either been unwilling to observe their international legal obligations and/or claimed that the structure of the F-35 program means that it is not possible to apply arms controls to any end-user, making the entire program incompatible with international law.”
The fighter jets are made by a global consortium led by the US defense giant Lockheed Martin.
UK Government
British firms supply 15% of the parts as part of an international agreement with countries including Israel.
In September, the UK suspended 30 out of 350 arms export licenses to Israel because of a “clear risk” they might be used to commit or facilitate a serious violation of international humanitarian law.
The government exempted F-35 components, claimed that it was not possible to suspend licensing the components without affecting the global program, and has justified the components for wider reasons of “international peace and security”.
The UK government is already facing legal action over existing arms licenses to Israel that include the components of F-35 fighter jets, and allegations of complicity with war crimes.
The letter accused nations of being “unwilling” to observe their legal obligations or claiming that the program meant it was not possible to apply arms controls to any end user, “making the entire program incompatible with international law”.
“Despite these devastating realities and crimes on the ground, our governments have continued to supply Israel through the F-35 program,” the letter added.
“The F-35 jet program is emblematic of the West’s complicity in Israel’s crimes against Palestinians. These jets were instrumental in Israel’s 466-day bombardment of Gaza, in crimes that include war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide,” said Katie Fallon, advocacy manager at CAAT.
“Since the limited ceasefire the US government, and lead partner to the F-35 program, has threatened Gaza with mass ethnic cleansing and forced displacement. This program gives material and political consent from all Western partners, including the UK, for these crimes to continue.”
A UK government spokesperson said: “In September, we suspended export licenses to Israel for items used in military operations in Gaza.”
“F-35 components have been excluded because it is not possible to suspend licensing of F-35 components for use by Israel without prejudicing the entire global F-35 program, including its broader strategic role in NATO and military support to Ukraine.”
In a letter sent to the UK’s foreign, business and defence secretaries, 37 MPs said the UK has the autonomy to remove Israel from the list of approved recipients for the F-35, noting maintaining exports of F-35 components could violate UK’s international obligations.
“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 wrote in the letter.
