UK to suspend some arms sales to Israel, foreign secretary announces

The UK will suspend some arms sales to Israel, Foreign Secretary David Lammy has announced.

Mr Lammy said the decision follows a review of export licences for UK arms, which found there was a “clear risk” they might be used to commit “a serious violation of international humanitarian law”.

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Around 30 of 350 licences will be suspended, Mr Lammy said, stressing that “this is not a blanket ban, this is not an arms embargo”.

But the Israeli foreign minister Israel Katz said the decision “sends a very problematic message” to Hamas and its backer Iran.

Mr Lammy said the government had a legal duty to review Britain’s export licences amid the war in Gaza.

Explaining his decision, he told the Commons: “It is with regret that I inform the House today the assessment I have received leaves me unable to conclude anything other than that for certain UK arms exports to Israel, there does exist a clear risk that they might be used to commit or facilitate a serious violation of international humanitarian law.”

The suspension will include components that go into military aircraft being used in Gaza, including helicopters and drones, as well as items which facilitate ground targeting.

However, it will not include parts for multinational F-35 fighter jets – something that has concerned opposition MPs and human rights charities.

The government said doing so would have a “significant effect on the global F-35 fleet with serious implications for international peace and security”.

The UK does not directly supply Israel with weapons, but does grant export licences for British companies to sell arms to the country.

Earlier in the year, under the previous Tory government, civil servants overseeing arms exports to Israel requested to “cease work immediately” over fears they could be complicit in war crimes.

‘Not a determination of innocence or guilt’

Mr Lammy told the Commons that after raising his own concerns while in opposition, he immediately launched a review upon taking office and “committed to sharing the review’s conclusions”.

He said the outcome does not mean that Israel has broken humanitarian law, as the UK government “have not and could not” arbitrate on that.

“This is a forward-looking evaluation, not a determination of innocence or guilt, and it does not prejudge any future determinations by the competent courts,” he said.

He added that the decision will be kept under review and “the UK continues to support Israel’s right to self-defence in accordance with international law”.

‘Vital questions unanswered’

The announcement drew a mixed reaction from across the House – with some saying the ban should go further and others saying there should not be one at all.

Green MP Ellie Chowns said the suspension is a “welcome and significant step, but leaves vital questions unanswered” – primarily, why so many licences are being exempt.

She said there is “no justification at all” for continuing to license F-35 fighter jets.

“There is an ongoing and clear risk and we urge the foreign secretary to look again and suspend these licences,” she said.

The Lib Dems said they would scrutinise the export licences which the government has not suspended and that they are “concerned that the decision is made solely on risk of use in Gaza and not the West Bank”.

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‘Decision we will regret’

But on the other end of the political spectrum, the DUP’s Sammy Wilson said the only people overjoyed by this decision “will be the Hamas terrorists”.

“This is a bad decision. It’s a decision which we will come to live to regret, and it’s one which unfortunately I believe has been a result of… pressure which Labour MPs have found in their seats, as a result of pro-Gaza protests,” he added.

The war was triggered when Palestinian militant group Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October, killing 1,200 and taking about 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

At least 40,691 Palestinians have been killed and 94,060 injured in Israel’s subsequent military offensive in Gaza, the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry said in a statement on Saturday.

US President Joe Biden said on Monday that a final hostage deal between Israel and Hamas is “very close” – but that Benjamin Netanyahu is not doing enough to secure an agreement.

It adds to intense pressure on the Israeli prime minister, who faced a general strike on Monday over the failure to secure a hostage deal and mass protests over the weekend after the killing of six of those held captive in Gaza.