On February 24, 2009, Ramallah-based Al-Haq filed another lawfare case, this time against UK Secretaries of State David Milliband, John Hutton, and Peter Mandelson for “failure to fulfill…obligations under international law with respect to Israel’s activities in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT)” including the “denial of the Palestinian right to self-determination, de facto acquisition of territory by force, and breach of ‘intransgressible’ [sic.] principles of international humanitarian law.”

Al-Haq is funded by European governments, including Norway and Sweden, as well as Christian Aid.   A similar Al-Haq suit from 2006 to block the issuance of export licenses for the sale of weapons to Israel was completely rejected by the British appellate court in November 2008.

The case appears to be the first case initiated by the Gaza Legal Aid Fund, an organization established by an Arab financier and advocate for British terror suspects being held in Yemeni custody.  UK attorneys, Phil Shiner and Daniel Machover (both involved in previous lawfare cases on behalf of Al-Haq and the Palestinian Center for Human Rights) are the attorneys representing the fund.  Due to the minimal chance of success, the case is intended to exploit the British courts for PR purposes and to further demonize Israel internationally.

Al-Haq’s General Director, Shawan Jabarin, has been denied travel visas by both Israel and Jordan because of his role, according to the Israeli Supreme Court, as a “senior activist” in the PFLP terrorist organization.