UK gov’t announces partial suspension of arms exports to Israel

LONDON

U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer's government has said that it's suspending exports of some weapons to Israel because they could be used to break international law.

Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the U.K. government concluded there is a “clear risk” some items could be used to “commit or facilitate a serious violation of international humanitarian law.”

He told lawmakers the decision related to about 30 of 350 existing export licenses for equipment “that we assess is for use in the current conflict in Gaza," including parts for military planes, helicopters and drones, along with items used for ground targeting.

The decision wasn't “a determination of innocence or guilt” about whether Israel had broken international law and wasn't an arms embargo, he said.

Parts made in the U.K. for the F35 fighters that Israel is using to strike targets in Gaza will not be included in the ban because the planes are manufactured as part of a global program.

In a message yesterday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the U.K. government’s decision, describing it as a shameful decision that would embolden Hamas.

He said his country was at war to also protect British hostages and vowed the U.K. measures would not prevent it from winning the conflict in Gaza.

“Hamas is holding over 100 hostages, including 5 British citizens. Instead of standing with Israel, a fellow democracy defending itself against barbarism, Britain’s misguided decision will only embolden Hamas,” he said.

“With or without British arms, Israel will win this war and secure our common future.”

His remarks ensure a deep diplomatic rift between Israel and the U.K. is likely, although Britain has gone to lengths to explain the decision as carefully calibrated and not amounting to a full embargo, let alone a step that would weaken Israel’s security.

The United Kingdom is among a number of Israel’s longstanding allies whose governments are under growing pressure to halt weapons exports because of the toll of the nearly 11-month-old conflict in Gaza. More than 40,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.