British weapons manufacturers are under intense scrutiny for potential criminal liability related to arms sales to Israel. Media reports on Thursday revealed that directors of 20 UK arms companies have been warned they could face legal consequences for complicity in war crimes and crimes against humanity due to their involvement in arming Israel.
Pro-Palestine campaigners cited the 2001 International Criminal Court Act, which deems it illegal under British law to engage in conduct that is ancillary to war crimes or crimes against humanity in foreign jurisdictions. Dearbhla Minogue, a senior lawyer at the Global Legal Action Network (GLAN), emphasized that those transferring weapons to Israel are at risk of criminal liability, regardless of the licensing system's purported protection.
GLAN, along with Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT), War on Want, and the International Center of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP), specifically targeted British arms companies supplying components for F-35 fighter jets used by Israel in its operations in Gaza. Lockheed Martin manufactures these jets in the US with significant input from British firm BAE Systems, which supplies essential parts.
The campaigners warned that directors of these companies could face criminal liability for their role in the atrocities currently unfolding in Gaza. Neil Sammonds, a senior campaigner at War on Want, stated that there is no refuge for those providing weaponry to a state that repeatedly violates international law.
The UK, along with the US, Germany, and Italy, has been a major supplier of arms to Israel. Recently, the US Congress approved a significant arms sale to Israel, including 50 F-15 fighter jets valued at over $18 billion.
Since early October, Israel's military actions in Gaza have resulted in the deaths of nearly 37,400 Palestinians, predominantly women and children, and injuries to over 85,500. This has drawn widespread condemnation and raised serious ethical and legal questions about the role of international arms suppliers in the conflict.
