Politics
Will the UK suspend arms sales to Israel? What we know so far
Board of Deputies president criticised suggestions of an arms embargo last weekend
July 30, 2024 10:09
Board of Deputies president criticised suggestions of an arms embargo last weekend
July 30, 2024 10:09Rumours swirled this week that the UK government was considering suspending arms sales to Israel.
Israeli news website Ynet reported on Monday that Israeli officials were expecting that the British government would “likely announce it will suspend issuing export licences for arms sales to Israel in the coming days”.
The Times then reported that no decision had yet been made and ministers would not take one until later in the summer.
When the JC enquired, the government would not confirm whether arms sales to Israel were under review.
It has been claimed that the government is looking to suspend licences for specific weapons that may be linked to suspected war crimes. These investigations could take weeks and no timescale has been given.
In Parliament on Tuesday, Conservative shadow foreign secretary Andrew Mitchell urged MPs to “remember that just a few weeks ago British arms and military personnel were defending our ally Israel from missiles launched by Iran”.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy responded that any change in the government’s position would only occur after “careful assessments of the law”.
Senior government figures have made clear statements about their commitment to international law.
In his swearing-in ceremony on July 15, Attorney-General Richard Hermer KC – a senior Jewish figure in Sir Keir Starmer’s government – said that the government would “seek to promote international law and the rule of law in the international legal order”.
Similar comments were echoed by the foreign secretary. In a speech to Parliament on July 19, in which he announced the restoration of funding to controversial Palestinian UN agency Unrwa, Lammy confirmed that he had instructed officials to review Israel’s compliance with international law. He told MPs: “Our commitment to international law is clear, and we are following the necessary processes. As soon as I took office, I tasked officials with a comprehensive review of Israel’s compliance with international humanitarian law, and that process is now under way. I will update the House again once the process is complete.”
Arms sales represent only a tiny fraction of all British exports to Israel – £18.2 million out of total of £3.4 billion last year.
New Board of Deputies President Phil Rosenberg, writing in the Sunday Times at the weekend, said any arms embargo would be an “astonishing decision to take against a key UK ally”.