I highly recommend watching the following video published by Declassified UK on May 20th and reading the companion article that follows.
The information gleaned through Declassified UKâs investigation includes more details of the corruption and lies which confirm that the UK Government has been economical with the truth as it continues to supply parts for Israelâs F-35 fighter jets used to drop 2,000 pound bunker-buster bombs on civilians in Gaza.
As such, in my lay opinion, the UK is complicit in committing war crimes.
Please watch:
This is the companion article written by investigative journalist, John MaEevoy published May 15, 2025.
Government witness Keith Bethell has defended Britain's F-35 exports. (Screenshot: MoD)
The UK government is being challenged in court this week over its decision to keep exporting fighter jet parts that can be used by Israelâs fleet of F-35 warplanes.
Declassified has discovered that one of the key witnesses has accepted hospitality from arms firms directly involved in the F-35 supply chain.
Keith Bethell, a director of Defence Equipment and Support within the Ministry of Defence, was called on by the government to give written evidence about Britainâs role in the F-35 programme.
He is âresponsible for putting to work an annual budget over ÂŁ5 billion to deliver the Air portfolio of equipment acquisitionâ and âmanaging key industrial partnershipsâ, which will bring him into close contact with companies that make the F-35.
His evidence includes a confidential âclosedâ statement which will only be available to the judges, government lawyers, and special advocates who have security clearance to see secret evidence.
The landmark case has been brought by Palestinian human rights group Al-Haq with support from the Global Legal Action Network (GLAN), Oxfam, and Human Rights Watch.
GLAN lawyer Charlotte Andrews-Briscoe said: âF-35s are dropping multi-tonne bombs on the people of Gaza, which the UN Secretary General has described as a âkilling field.ââ
Bethell told the court that it would not be possible for the UK to extricate itself from the programme without having âan impact on operational readinessâ, potentially leading âto very serious consequences in a short time frameâ.
The testimony might help to convince the judges that Britain should continue to play a major role in the F-35 programme despite the fighter jetsâ role in the annihilation of Gaza.
âWorking dinnerâ
But Bethellâs register of interests, which is published by the Ministry of Defence, raises concerns about potential conflicts of interest.
Since 2023, he has accepted hospitality from at least five arms corporations which are directly engaged in the F-35 programme.
One of those companies was Lockheed Martin, a US arms giant and the prime contractor for the F-35 programme, which would stand to lose heavily should Britain stop contributing fighter jet components.
A âworking dinnerâ with Lockheed took place in March 2024, some months after Al-Haq had initiated its legal challenge over UK arms exports to Israel.
It is understood that meal focused on helicopter platforms, which was Bethellâs professional focus at the time.
He also had dinner with BAE Systems last June, the same month he took up his current position in charge of the âair domainâ. BAE makes the F-35âs rear tail.
Bethell also attended the grand opening of Elbit Systemsâ âresearch and development hubâ in Bristol in 2023 alongside the Israeli ambassador to London, Tzipi Hotovely.
Elbit describes itself as âa pivotal contributorâ to the F-35 programme.
Arms trade expert Andrew Feinstein told Declassified: âKey officials should not receive any benefit of any sort from defence companies.
âIt creates the distinct impression that they are making major decisions in favour of those from whom they receive benefits rather than what is in the best interests of the British people.
âThis is especially so in the case of the arms trade which is the most corrupt of all trades and in which decisions are made that can cost tens of thousands of people their lives, as is the case with the F-35s in Gazaâ.
Before joining the MoDâs Defence Equipment and Support unit, Bethell worked for the Royal Air Force (RAF) for three decades, rising to the rank of Air-Vice Marshall.
His current role includes âmanaging key customer relationshipsâ, according to his witness statement.
He told the court that âit is not possible for the UK to instruct the Contractors who operate the F-35 Global Support Solution not to transfer to Israel parts which have been produced in the UKâ.
As such, âthe only way for the UK to ensure that its components do not reach Israel is for it to suspend all exports into the F-35 programmeâ.
However, Bethell argued, this would not be advisable given any interruption âin the supply of spares manufactured uniquely by the UK would immediately have an impact on operational readiness and fleet resilience and potentially lead to very serious consequencesâ.
Paradoxically, he also claimed that while the UK government âdoes not have detailed informationâ on the issue, âthe likelihood of UK manufactured components ending up in an Israeli F-35 aircraft is considered to be very smallâ.
This seems at odds with government barrister Sir James Eadie telling an earlier hearing that âthere is clear risk that F-35 components might be used to commit or facilitate a serious violation ofâ international humanitarian law in Gaza.
In spite of these inconsistencies, the legal argument on behalf of Britainâs trade secretary Jonathan Reynolds, who decided on the licences, is heavily reliant on Bethellâs testimony.
It says âsuspend[ing] all UK exports into the F-35 programmeâ would âincur serious risks to international peace and securityâ, while âthe likelihood of UK-manufactured components being used in existing Israeli planes is very smallâ.
In a video from 2018 seen by Declassified, Bethell said the UK was âvery influentialâ in the F-35 programme.
More than 15 percent of each F-35 is manufactured in Britain, with over 100 UK-based companies contributing to the supply chain.
At least five of those companies have welcomed Bethell to events or dinners since 2023, including Lockheed, BAE Systems, QinetiQ, Collins Aerospace, and Elbit Systems.
Last year, Danish media outlet Danwatch revealed that one of Israelâs F-35 jets was involved in a devastating attack in Gaza on the designated safe zone of Al-Mawasi, killing 90 people and injuring over 300 more.
The Israeli air force has also modified its F-35 jets so that they can drop even larger ordnance including 2,000lb bombs, which it refers to as âbeast modeâ.
âSuch bombs can be lethal within a 300-metre radius and typically leave a 12 metre wide bomb craterâ, Al-Haq told the court.
A UN-appointed commission warned that these bombs can ârupture lungs and sinuses and tear off peopleâs limbs hundreds of feet from the blast siteâ.
A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said: âDirectors at the Defence Equipment and Support regularly conduct routine engagement with Key industry partners across their portfolios.â
About the Author:
John McEvoy is acting Chief Investigator for Declassified UK. John is an historian and filmmaker whose work focuses on British foreign policy and Latin America. His PhD was on Britainâs Secret Wars in Colombia between 1948 and 2009, and he is currently working on a documentary about Britainâs role in the rise of Augusto Pinochet.
"His evidence includes a confidential âclosedâ statement which will only be available to the judges, government lawyers, and special advocates who have security clearance to see secret evidence."
And of course, they will always maintain the illusion that "Secret Societies" are "Conspiracy Theory". The only thing about these people that is "transparent" is the ongoing genocide in the region.
"His evidence includes a confidential âclosedâ statement which will only be available to the judges, government lawyers, and special advocates who have security clearance to see secret evidence."
And of course, they will always maintain the illusion that "Secret Societies" are "Conspiracy Theory". The only thing about these people that is "transparent" is the ongoing genocide in the region.