The British government has decided to partially suspend arms exports to Israel because of the war in Gaza, the British Foreign Office announced today in a parliamentary debate. The decision follows a nearly two-month review that found that British arms and defence exports “could be used in breach of international law in Gaza”. The British Foreign Office said the decision only affected 30 out of 350 arms export licences requiring government approval.
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Among the export licenses that will not be approved, according to the British government’s decision, are spare parts for airplanes, drones and helicopters, as well as equipment for artillery sights. The Foreign Office, in coordination with the Prime Minister’s Office and the Ministry of Trade, stressed that it is not imposing a complete ban on exports of spare parts for F-35 fighter jets used in Israel, unless they are parts ordered directly and exclusively by Israel. The Foreign Office clarified that while there is a risk that Israel will violate international law in the war in Gaza, the legal review did not explicitly mention this. British Foreign Secretary David Lammy stressed that « Britain continues to support Israel’s right to defend itself. »
It is a change of policy from the previous Conservative government, ushered in by the new British Labour government led by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. Mr Lammy has said in the past that he launched the legal review “on his first day in office”. In recent weeks, he has faced intense pressure 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 cut off arms supplies to Israel. Germany even increased its deliveries in response to Israeli demands in the months following the Hamas terror attack on October 7.
The partial embargo is also aimed at appeasing the US administration, which believes there is no reason for the UK to suspend arms supplies to Israel. The government’s decision was widely reported in the British media today.
Published by Globes, Israeli business news – fr.globes.co.il – September 2, 2024.
© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd., 2024.
