Three Palestinian human rights groups have launched a legal bid to force the UK government to disclose whether it has approved arms export permits to Israel, potentially in violation of international law. The groups—the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, Al-Haq, and Al Mezan Center for Human Rights—filed an affidavit in the High Court last week, seeking a discovery application for export documents.
The groups, supported by the UK-based Centre for International Justice, aim to uncover whether permits were granted without proper assessment of the risk that they could facilitate serious human rights abuses. The UK government has repeatedly denied supplying weapons to Israel since October 7, 2023, and has described existing permits as “dual-use” items intended for civilian purposes but with potential military applications.
In November 2024, the Ministry of Defence confirmed it had amended or lapsed at least 16 defence-related export permits to Israel as part of a review of 66 active exports. A senior official stated the changes were made because the government could not be confident the exports would not contradict UK national security or international obligations. By October 2025, 54 permits remained active, with 22 issued after October 7, 2023, five of which had expired.
The United Nations independent commission of inquiry found in September that “genocide is occurring in Gaza and is continuing to occur,” according to its chair. Former human rights commissioner Chris Sidoti said the UK must ensure it is not involved in trading arms used by Israel that could breach international law.
Al-Haq’s general director, Shawan Jabarin, stated that Palestinians have “the right to know who is arming Israel and what is being exported.” The groups previously sought disclosure of documents in November 2023 but discontinued the action due to undisclosed transparency issues. The legal team argues that the UK arms export regime operates with minimal public scrutiny, and that government assurances have led to public mistrust.
