Trade Minister rejects criticism of UK’s F35 fighter jet export policy with Israel
Pressed by the Lib Dems Douglas Alexander says UK 'can not make changes to the F35 programme unilaterally'
The UK has already suspended exports of components for F35 fighter jets where they are used by Israel and not re-exported to other countries, Trade Minister Douglas Alexander has told MPs.
The minister was pressed by the Liberal Democrats on whether he would suspend the export of UK-produced components for the fighter jets to Israel during Business and Trade Questions on Thursday.
Charlie Reynolds, the MP for Witney, had noted the UK’s strategic export licensing criteria stated that licenses should not be granted where there is a risk items might be used to commit or facilitate serious violations of international humanitarian law.
The Lib Dem politician suggested the export of F35 components “is aiding in the commission of these wrongful acts” and questioned how the UK could not be in breach of its own arms export laws.
Responding Alexander said the F35 programme was the largest international collaborative defence programme in the world and that a recent High Court judgement had determined that the UK could “not make changes to the F35 programme unilaterally.”
He added:”It requires agreement across all our partner nations … to isolate end users across thousands of different components. ”
Alexander had previously told MPs claiming the UK was complicit in supplying componts for F35s used by Israel against Palestinians in Gaza that Government is not selling then “directly to the Israeli authorities” and the export licence prevents “direct shipments for Israel for use in Israel”.
Last month the High Court rejected a case brought by campaigners trying to stop the transfer to Israel of all British-made spare parts for US-produced F-35 fighter jets, saying it didn’t have the constitutional authority to intervene.
The government suspended about 30 arms export licences to Israel last September because of a risk of UK-made weapons being used in violations of international law in the Gaza Strip.
But the UK supplies components to a global pool of F-35s which Israel can access.
The government had argued it could not pull out of the defence programme without endangering international peace.
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