Campaigners Urge F-35 Fighter Jet Producing Nations to Stop Supplying Israel
Over 200 civil society organizations are calling on countries involved in producing F-35 fighter jets to "immediately halt all arms transfers to Israel," expressing concern that these planes are being used to violate international law.
The letter, signed by 232 organizations, was sent on Monday to government ministers in Australia, Canada, Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, the US, and the UK, as the war in Gaza reached its 500th day.
The signatories include major human rights organizations like Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and Oxfam, as well as groups from countries such as Belgium, Jordan, Lebanon, Switzerland, Ireland, and India.
The letter, coordinated by the Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT), states: “The past 15 months have clearly shown that Israel is not committed to complying with international law."
“F-35 program partners, both individually and collectively, have failed to prevent these jets from being used in serious violations of international law by Israel," it adds.
The letter goes on to criticize states for either failing to uphold their international legal obligations or claiming that the structure of the F-35 program makes it impossible to impose arms controls on end-users, rendering the entire program incompatible with international law.
The F-35 jets are produced by a global consortium led by US defense giant Lockheed Martin, with British firms supplying 15% of the parts as part of an international agreement, which includes Israel.
The UK government is currently facing legal action over its arms licenses to Israel, including components for the F-35 jets, with accusations of complicity in war crimes. Legal action over arms exports to Israel has also been taken in the US, the Netherlands, Denmark, Canada, and Australia.
In September, the UK suspended 30 of its 350 arms export licenses to Israel, citing a “clear risk” that they might be used to commit or facilitate serious violations of international humanitarian law. However, the UK exempted F-35 components, claiming that suspending them would affect the global program and justified their continued export for broader reasons of “international peace and security.”
The ongoing conflict in Gaza has led to the deaths of over 48,000 people, with some estimates suggesting the toll is 40% higher than the figures provided by the Palestinian Health Ministry. Most of Gaza’s population has been displaced, and 69% of the infrastructure has been destroyed by Israeli airstrikes, according to the United Nations Satellite Centre.
The letter stresses that the fragile temporary ceasefire highlights the risk of further violations in Gaza and the West Bank, accusing governments of being unwilling to meet their legal obligations or citing the structure of the F-35 program as an excuse to avoid applying arms controls, which they claim makes the program incompatible with international law.
All F-35 partner countries, with the exception of the US, are signatories to the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), which requires preventing the direct or indirect transfer of military equipment when there is a risk of violations of international humanitarian law.
The UK has blocked arms licenses for use in Israel’s offensive operations in Gaza based solely on concerns about potential mistreatment of Palestinian detainees and Israel’s control over the supply of humanitarian aid to Gaza. However, it has avoided making a judgment on allegations that Israel has used disproportionate force, creating a potential loophole in UK arms legislation.
“Despite the devastating reality and crimes taking place on the ground, our governments have continued to supply arms to Israel through the F-35 program,” the letter states.
Katie Fallon, advocacy manager at CAAT, said: “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, contributing to war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide."
"Since the limited ceasefire, the US government, as the lead partner in the F-35 program, has threatened Gaza with mass ethnic cleansing and forced displacement. This program gives material and political consent to these crimes, with support from all Western partners, including the UK."
A UK government spokesperson responded, saying: “In September, we suspended export licenses to Israel for items used in military operations in Gaza. However, F-35 components were excluded because it is not possible to suspend their licensing for use by Israel without undermining the entire global F-35 program, including its broader strategic role within NATO and its military support to Ukraine.”
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