UK suspends some arms exports to Israel

The decision only applies to around a tenth of London’s military sales to the country

The UK has suspended around 30 arms export licenses to Israel over concern that the equipment in question is being used in violation of international humanitarian law, the British Foreign Office announced on Monday.

The suspension will apply to around 30 items currently being used by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in Gaza, the Foreign Office said in a statement. The list of items includes aircraft and drone components, as well as equipment that allows the Israeli military to select targets in the Palestinian enclave.

British-made components for the US-led F-35 fighter jet will not be included, the statement noted. Business and Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds added that the UK will maintain its “important commitment” to the program, under which Israel has received 36 of the latest-generation warplanes.

“The suspension will not change the UK’s steadfast support for Israel’s security, and the decision will be kept under review,” the statement read, pointing out that the remainder of the UK’s 350 export licenses to Israel remain unaffected.

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Britain’s Labour government launched a review into these licenses shortly after coming to power in July, with Foreign Secretary David Lammy traveling to Israel twice in the months since to raise the issue with his counterparts in West Jerusalem. The government has since concluded that there are “serious concerns about aspects of Israel’s compliance” with international humanitarian law, and “a clear risk that items exported to Israel under these 30 licenses might be used in serious violations” of the law.

The Foreign Office’s statement did not accuse Israel of any specific violations of humanitarian law. However, the IDF has repeatedly been accused of indifference toward civilian casualties and the explicit targeting of non-combatants in Gaza. In May, a US State Department report found it “reasonable to assess” that Israeli forces were using American-made weapons in a manner “ inconsistent with its obligations…for mitigating civilian harm.”

The State Department cited multiple incidents in which large numbers of Palestinian civilians were killed in Israeli airstrikes. After the report’s publication, US President Joe Biden halted the shipment of certain weapons – including 2,000-pound unguided bombs – to Israel. 

Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, killing around 1,100 people, taking around 250 hostage, and prompting Israel to declare war on the militant group. As of Monday, the Israeli campaign has claimed the lives of nearly 41,000 people in Gaza, the majority of them women and children, according to the latest figures from the enclave’s health ministry.

READ MORE: Russian named among hostages found dead in Gaza

The British government says defense sales to Israel were worth about £42 million ($53 million) in 2022. According to the Campaign Against Arms Trade,the UK has approved at least £474 million ($560 million) in exports to Israel since 2015.

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