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UK to suspend 30 Israeli arms export licences

Government insists decision is ‘not an arms embargo’

September 2, 2024 16:32
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Britain's Foreign Secretary David Lammy (Photo by BENJAMIN CREMEL / AFP) (Photo by BENJAMIN CREMEL/AFP via Getty Images)
3 min read

British Foreign Secretary David Lammy today announced that the government would halt some arms sales to Israel.

Speaking to the House of Commons, Lammy said that government “have not and could not arbitrate on whether or not Israel has breached international humanitarian law”, but that it had a legal duty under the Strategic Export Licensing Criterion not to grant an arms export licence “if it determines there is a clear risk that the items might be used to commit or facilitate a serious violation of international humanitarian law”.

“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”, he said.

The Foreign Secretary confirmed that Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds would announce the suspension of “around 30 from a total of approximately 350 licences to Israel as required under the Exports Controls Act”.