UK suspends some arms exports to Israel

The British Foreign Office announced today during a parliamentary debate that the British government has decided to partially suspend arms exports to Israel due to the war in Gaza. The government took this decision after a review lasting almost two months, which found that British arms and defence exports “may be used in contravention of international law in Gaza.” The British Foreign Office explained that the decision refers to only 30 of the 350 arms export licences that require government approval.

Among the export licenses that will not be approved, according to the British government’s decision, are parts for aircraft, drones and helicopters, as well as equipment for artillery sights. The Foreign Office, in coordination with the Prime Minister’s Office and the Trade Office, confirmed that it does not impose a blanket ban on exports of F-35 parts for fighter jets used by Israel, unless these parts are directly and exclusively required by Israel. The Foreign Office explained that while there is a risk that Israel may be violating international law in the war in Gaza, the legal review did not explicitly state this. British Foreign Secretary David Lammy confirmed that “the UK continues to support Israel’s right to defend itself.”

This marks a change in policy from the previous Conservative government, which was introduced by the new Labour government led by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. Lammy has previously said he launched the legal review “on his first day in office”. In recent weeks, he has had to face intense pressure from within the party, from pro-Palestinian elements, to announce a full arms embargo on Israel, as other European countries such as Spain, Italy, Belgium and the Netherlands have done. Germany and Denmark remain among the few countries that have not stopped supplying arms to Israel. Germany even increased them in response to Israeli requests in the months following the Hamas terror attack on 7 October.

The partial ban is also aimed at appeasing the US administration, which says there is no reason for the UK to suspend arms shipments to Israel. The British government’s decision has received widespread coverage in the British media today.

This article was published in Globes, Israeli Business News – en.globes.co.il – on September 2, 2024.

© Copyright Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd., 2024.