Campaigners urge halt to F-35 fighter jet sales to Israel

More than 200 civil society organizations worldwide have called on countries involved in producing F-35 fighter jets to immediately suspend arms transfers to Israel, citing concerns over their use in violations of international law.

The letter, signed by 232 organizations, was sent to government officials in the U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia, Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands and Norway, as the war in Gaza surpassed 500 days.

The appeal was coordinated by the Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) and backed by prominent nongovernment organizations (NGOs), including Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and Oxfam.

Allegations of international law violations

The letter argues that the past 15 months have demonstrated that “Israel is not committed to complying with international law” and that F-35 program partners “have failed to prevent these jets from being used to commit serious violations.”

It criticizes states for either disregarding their legal obligations or claiming that arms control measures cannot be enforced within the structure of the multinational F-35 program.

The F-35 jets, produced by a global consortium led by U.S. defense giant Lockheed Martin, include components manufactured in the U.K., where the government has faced legal action over arms exports to Israel.

Similar lawsuits have been filed in the U.S., the Netherlands, Denmark, Canada and Australia.

UK’s partial arms export suspension

In September, the U.K. government suspended 30 of 350 arms export licenses to Israel, citing a “clear risk” that weapons might be used in violations of international humanitarian law.

However, the suspension excluded F-35 components, with officials arguing that halting their export would disrupt the global production and supply chain of the jet, which also serves NATO and Ukraine.

A U.K. government spokesperson defended the decision, stating: “F-35 components have been excluded because suspending their licensing for Israel would jeopardize the entire global F-35 program, including its broader strategic role in NATO and military support to Ukraine.”

Humanitarian concerns amid Gaza conflict

According to the United Nations Satellite Centre, more than 48,000 people have been killed in Gaza, with estimates suggesting the actual toll is maybe 40% higher than reported by the Palestinian health ministry.

The conflict has displaced most of Gaza’s population, and 69% of its infrastructure has been damaged because of Israeli airstrikes.

The letter emphasized the “fragility” of the temporary cease-fire and warned of continued violations in Gaza and the occupied West Bank. It condemned Western governments for continuing to supply F-35 jets despite “devastating realities and crimes on the ground.”

Katie Fallon, advocacy manager at CAAT, called the F-35 program “emblematic of the West’s complicity in Israel’s actions against Palestinians,” stating that these jets have been instrumental in “Israel’s 466-day bombardment of Gaza.”