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Activists who took legal action against the UK government over the export of weapons to Israel, including F-35 fighter jet components, announced on Wednesday that the government has decided to review its stance amid rising concerns over Israel’s military actions in Gaza. 

The UK-based Global Legal Action Network (GLAN) and Palestinian human rights group Al-Haq issued a joint statement stating that the UK government has responded to their claims.  

The government said they pledged to review the export of fighter jet components and other weapons to Israel. 

"In response to our pre-action letter sent last week, the UK government has said it is reviewing its decision to allow the export of components for the F-35 warplane to a global pool which serves Israel and other direct arms export licences," the statement said.   

This comes after the two campaign groups applied for an emergency high court injunction last week, following the International Criminal Court (ICC) issuing arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant. 

In September, the UK government suspended 30 arms export licences to Israel following an internal review that identified a clear risk of misuse amid Israel's ongoing war on Gaza.

The suspension included the export of F-35 components from the UK to Israel. However, hundreds of arms export licenses to Israel are still operational.

At a High Court hearing on 18 November, the UK government acknowledged that the potential impact on the UK-US relationship influenced its decision to continue allowing some arms exports to Israel. 

Breaching international law

In previous hearings, the court had ordered ministers to justify the continued sale of F-35s, despite the possibility that Israel was breaching international law. 

Ministers argued that F-35 parts are placed in a general pool, making it impossible to determine which parts would be sold to Israel for use in Gaza. 

GLAN and Al-Haq stressed that continuing arms exports to Israel fuels further accusations of the UK's complicity in genocide. 

The campaign groups highlighted that F-35 jets have played a crucial role in Israel’s actions in Gaza, where nearly 45,000 people have been killed, most of them women and children.

Other human rights organisations have since joined the campaign groups' call, while military experts note that Israel has relied heavily on F-35s for airstrikes in Gaza and Lebanon over the past 13 months.  

UK-made parts constitute 15 percent of the jets. 

Within the British parliament, dissent is growing over continued arms supplies to Israel. 

Labour MP Zarah Sultana urged Foreign Secretary David Lammy last month to impose a full arms embargo on Israel. 

The Independent Alliance group of MPs, including former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, has also condemned the arms sales. 

Eighteen UK-based charities, including Medical Aid for Palestinians, Oxfam GB, and Save the Children UK, have signed a joint statement calling for an end to all arms transfers to Israel, highlighting the exemption of F-35 components.