THOUSANDS will march to the doors of the Labour Conference on Saturday while ministers stand accused of criminal liability over the export of parts for F-35 warplanes used in Gaza.
Earlier this month, the British government finally admitted there was a “clear risk” of Israel seriously violating international law, but decided to suspend just 30 of 350 arms export licences to the country.
The move was condemned as inadequate by campaigners, as it fails to encompass components for F-35 fighter jets, which have been used to drop 2,000lb bombs on innocent civilians.
At least 79 companies in Britain are linked to the F-35 supply chain, according to data released by the Department for Business and Trade last November.
Today, Global Legal Action Network (GLAN) and Palestinian human rights group Al-Haq wrote to foreign, business and defence ministers, warning them they could face criminal liability over the exports.
Charlotte Andrews-Briscoe, a GLAN lawyer, said: “These letters put ministers and arms companies on notice that if they continue to facilitate the transfer of F-35 fighter jets, they could be indicted for aiding and abetting war crimes, and then be tried by a jury of their peers.”
GLAN and Al-Haq are currently taking the government to the High Court over its failure to halt weapons exports, with a hearing confirmed for October.
Earlier this week, Britain abstained on a historic UN resolution demanding that Israel withdraw from Gaza and the West Bank within 12 months.
The resolution called on states to halt the transfer of arms “if it is reasonable to suspect that they may be used in the occupied Palestinian territory.”
As ministers attend the opening of the Labour Conference in Liverpool this weekend, tens of thousands of demonstrators are expected march through the city to demand that the government take meaningful action to end Israel’s genocidal attacks.
Ahead of the march, Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) director Ben Jamal said: “The Labour government knows that Israel is committing crimes in Gaza and the West Bank.
“But instead of honouring its obligations under international law, it is still seeking to shield Israel from accountability.
“It is shocking and unacceptable that this government would remain actively complicit with a state that commits genocide and practices apartheid, but that is the case.
“That is why we bring our movement for Palestinian freedom, justice and equality to the Labour Party Conference.”
Motions on Palestine are on the conference agenda, but it has not yet been decided whether they will be debated.
A fringe meeting held by PSC titled “Justice for Palestine: confronting genocide and ending apartheid” has been shortened to “Justice for Palestine” in the conference guide.
PSC blasted Labour leadership for “refusing to address the realities” affirmed by numerous human rights monitoring bodies and the ICJ.
Meanwhile, arms firm Northrop Grumman, a key supplier of weapons to the Israeli military, will be sponsoring an event hosted by the New Statesman titled: “A new era of defence: How can Labour address current and future challenges?”
Babcock, which has partnered with Israeli arms firms such as Elbit Systems, will sponsor another event by the magazine on “Labour’s Strategic Defence and Security Review.”
Action on Armed Violence executive director Dr Iain Overton said: “The sponsorship of events at the Labour conference by companies like Northrop Grumman, which is heavily involved in supplying arms to Israel, is deeply concerning.
“To accept sponsorship from corporations embedded in such conflicts not only raises ethical questions but also seems at odds with the Labour Party’s values.
“It signals a troubling relationship between politics, commerce, and the international arms trade, especially when the humanitarian impact of such sponsorship is starkly evident.”
Today, 25 organisations including Amnesty and Global Justice Now wrote to the government to demand that Britain suspend its trade agreement with Israel, and ongoing negotiations around a deeper free trade agreement, pending a thorough review.
Global Justice Now director Nick Dearden said: “Amid the horrific injustices being committed against the Palestinian people, it’s staggering that this government would even entertain the idea of deepening trade ties with Israel.
“Instead of providing support and diplomatic cover to a nation under investigation for genocide, this government must use every means at its disposal to end this violence.”
