Why has the UK suspended some arms sales to Israel?
Israel has accused the UK of "emboldening" Hamas, following the government's decision to suspend arms export licences to Israel.
Foreign secretary David Lammy said he had not taken the decision to suspend 30 out of 350 arms export licences to Israel “lightly”.
He told the Commons on Monday: “This is not a blanket ban, this is not an arms embargo. It targets around 30, approximately of 350 licenses to Israel in total, for items which could be used in the current conflict in Gaza. The rest will continue.”
Lammy said the decision won’t have a “material impact" on Israel’s security, adding: “This suspension only covers items which might be used in the current conflict.”
But Israel's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Britain’s "misguided decision will only embolden Hamas".
The country's foreign minister Israel Katz said the decision “sends a very problematic message to the Hamas terrorist organisation and its backers in Iran”, adding that Israel was "disappointed by the British government’s recent series of decisions".
The move has been met with mixed reactions from British MPs, with many praising the move, some claiming it does not go far enough, and others objecting to the suspension altogether.
Which arms does the UK send to Israel?
Just under 10% of the UK's arms export licences to Israel have been suspended - meaning the majority remain intact.
According to UK export data collated by the Campaign Against Arms Trade and shared by gov.uk, the UK has licensed arms worth over £576 million to Israel since 2008.
The figures, from 2008-2023, include:
279 licenses for components for military radars
193 for components for electronic warfare equipment
147 for components for targeting equipment, 92 for components for military aircraft head-up/down displays
82 for components for submarines
81 components for unmanned air vehicles
67 for components for military support aircraft
59 for components for combat aircraft, among others.
Lammy told the Commons that the licence suspensions "include equipment that we assess is for use in the current conflict in Gaza".
However, the suspension does not include components for the F-35 fighter jet programme.
Why is the UK suspended arms sales now?
The new Labour government has taken a different tack from its predecessor - also breaking with the US government's line - in its decision to suspend the arms licences.
While the move may be read as Labour simply charting its own course in the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, it also comes amid concerns over ongoing restrictions by Israel on the flow of aid into Gaza, as well as its treatment of Palestinian prisoners.
Lammy said: "Facing a conflict such as this, it is this government’s legal duty to review export licences. Criteria 2C of the strategic export licensing criteria states that the government will not issue export licences if there is a clear risk that the items might be used to commit or facilitate serious violations of international humanitarian law."
Just days before the suspension, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said the UK was “deeply worried” by the “methods Israel has employed” in an IDF military operation in the occupied West Bank.
"The UK is deeply concerned by the ongoing IDF military operation in the occupied West Bank," and FCDO spokesperson said on Friday.
"We recognise Israel’s need to defend itself against security threats, but we are deeply worried by the methods Israel has employed and by reports of civilian casualties and the destruction of civilian infrastructure."
What has the reaction been?
The move has been met with mixed reactions from British MPs, with many praising the move, some claiming it does not go far enough, and others objecting to the suspension altogether.
Former British diplomat and national security advisor Lord Peter Ricketts told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, "These things are never cut and dry – there are always going to be judgments to be made.
“Most weapons can be used for defensive or offensive action, so I think they’ve tried not to look at that, but what are the weapons that are most likely used in acts that could violate international law, and it will have been a careful assessment, yes, gone over several months.
“The previous government launched the process of reviewing, and I think, honestly, this is long overdue.”
However, the move has already caused a rift with Israel, with Netanyahu branding the decision "shameful".
He wrote in a post on social media site X: “This shameful decision will not change Israel’s determination to defeat Hamas, a genocidal terrorist organisation that savagely murdered 1200 people on October 7, including 14 British citizens.”
“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. Just as Britain’s heroic stand against the Nazis is seen today as having been vital in defending our common civilisation, so too will history judge Israel’s stand against Hamas and Iran’s axis of terror."
UK chief rabbi Ephraim Mirvis also expressed his dismay that the UK had suspended arms licences to Israel, saying it "beggars belief" that the UK had made the decision "at a time when Israel is fighting a war for its very survival on seven fronts forced upon it on the 7th October, and at the very moment when six hostages murdered in cold blood by cruel terrorists were being buried by their families."
Lammy's decision also came in for criticism at the other end of the spectrum, with some calling for a harsher line towards Israel.
Several MPs suggested Lammy should also have moved to include components for F-35 fighter jets in the ban, with Amnesty International commenting that failing to do so was a "catastrophic failure for arms control and justice".
Have other countries suspended arms sales to Israel?
The UK's decision follows similar moves by other countries to limit arms sales to Israel amid the ongoing conflict with Hamas.
Spain said it has not approved any arms sales to Israel since 7 October 2023, while Canada has not signed off on any new licences since January 2024.
Italy also said it has decided not to continue arms exports to Israel amid the most recent conflict, while Norway does not export arms to conflict areas.
Currently, the biggest exporters of arms to Israel are the US and Germany.
Read more:
