Overview

• Since Foreign Secretary David Lammy paused free trade negotiations with Israel this month, the UK has maintained arms exports including F-35 components
• Official figures show the government granted £127.6 million in new arms export licences to Israel between October and December 2024, surpassing approvals from 2020 to 2023 combined
• The MoD exemption for F-35 parts lets UK-made components enter a US-coordinated global pool that feeds Israeli jets operating over Gaza
• Palestinian rights group Al-Haḳ and the Global Legal Action Network have launched court proceedings challenging the exemption on grounds of possible war crime facilitation
• RAF surveillance flights from Cyprus continue to collect intelligence for Israel despite official assurances that they support only hostage-recovery operations