UK MP Burgon Calls for Parliamentary Vote to Halt F-35 Exports to Israel

Reported by Kokcha News Agency:
The UK High Court has ruled that the decision to continue exporting military equipment, including components for F-35 fighter jets, to Israel is a matter for Parliament and the executive, not the courts. The ruling came in response to a lawsuit filed by the Palestinian human rights organization Al-Haq and the UK-based Global Legal Action Network (GLAN), which sought to halt arms sales to Israel.

Burgon’s Response
Following the ruling, MP Richard Burgon, who attended a press conference outside the court, warned that some in the UK government might feel relieved by the decision, but this would be a mistake. He emphasized that the court had clearly stated that it is not within its power to decide whether F-35 components should continue to be exported to Israel.

“The High Court has ruled that this is a matter for the government and Parliament. The government can no longer say, ‘Let’s wait and see what the courts say.’ The courts have made it clear that this is a matter for democratic processes,” Burgon said.

Call for a Parliamentary Vote
Burgon urged the government to make a moral and political decision to halt the export of F-35 components to Israel, which he argued are being used in what he described as Israel’s “genocide” against the people of Gaza.

“Will the government continue to allow F-35 exports to go to Israel and be complicit in the genocide against the people of Gaza, or will it do the right thing and take a moral and political decision to stop these exports? If the government does not act, I call for an immediate vote in Parliament on whether F-35 exports should continue,” Burgon stated.

Public Opinion
Burgon highlighted that the majority of the British public is against arms sales to Israel, saying, “The majority in this country wants all arms sales to Israel to end. The government must now listen to the people, stop hiding behind legal processes, and take a moral stance by fulfilling its democratic responsibility to halt F-35 exports.”