The UK announced Monday that it has suspended some arms export licenses to Israel over concerns the weapons are being used to violate international law in Gaza.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy announced the decision, which suspends 30 out of 355 export licenses for Israel and covers components for military aircraft, including fighter jets, drones, and helicopters.
The export bans do not apply to components for the F-35 fighter jets, which the UK exports as part of a multinational program, unless it is known that the components will be shipped directly to Israel.
Activists who have pressured the British government to suspend arms exports to Israel criticized the exemption for F-35s, which are a critical part of the Israeli Air Force.
“The suspension of export licenses took far long and didn’t go far enough,” said Yasmine Ahmed, director of Human Rights Watch in the UK, according to Middle East Eye. “That the UK government chose to exempt components for the F-35, a workhorse of Israel’s brutal bombing campaign, shows either a miscomprehension of the law or a wilful disregard.”
Lammy said a British government review concluded that there is a “clear risk” that British weapons might be used in serious violations of international humanitarian law. He also claimed that it hasn’t been verified that Israel has violated international law despite the mountain of evidence of Israeli war crimes that has emerged over nearly 11 months of the genocidal slaughter in Gaza.
The US has similar foreign assistance laws that prohibit military aid to countries that will use it to violate US or international law. After a review, the State Department concluded that Israel was likely breaking the law but claimed there wasn’t evidence, allowing the military shipments to continue to flow.
Fantastic UK!
Less than 10% of contracts. Not even an impressive start.
The UK plays a big part in the Genocide of Palestinians, since they are the backers of the Zionist from day ONE. The UK needs to shut it all down, when it comes to supporting the monster they helped create. Every Palestinian death, is the result of the UK support of the Terrorist State of Israel.
"The UK needs to shut it all down"
They won't…! UK MIC wants to make money similar to US MIC…! And the money Israel pays UK for arms (if it pays) comes from US taxpayers…!
Sounds like a UK pre-negotiated deal with Israel…!
Unless the UK wants to be kicked out of future USA fighter plane programs, they better not mess with the supply chain. And they won't do that.
Oh no, other countries can't help bankroll a s**t fighter plane that overcosts and underperforms ? Heavens to Betsy, that's like being told I can't help pay a rich neighbour's mortgage on his huge cardboard mansion.
The u.k. is a poodle dog to the u.s.
And does the UK expect Israel to buy weapons from them in the future? Israel will find other suppliers.
D'you see that MAYBE the issue is that far too many countries can just buy themselves a military with their peoples' wealth instead of having to invest in the expensive time and infrastructure to manufacture their own weapons ?
And if we stopped the international arms trade, then countries MIGHT have to actually decide between social programs and benefits to citizens instead of constructing a war machine they don't need ?
It was estimated that even if Saddam raised Iraqi oil to $300-500 a barrel, it STILL would have been cheaper for the US to buy at that price than it was to invade and occupy in Iraq War II. Let's end international arms trade and make diplomacy orders of MAGNITUDE less expensive than buying and maintaining a huge shiny army.
"UK Suspends Some Arms Exports to Israel Over Gaza War Crimes." The UK is not nice. What did it accomplish? More Palestinians will suffer while they wait for Israel to finish genociding them.
heck folks, it was the UK that crated israel
and has supported it tooth and nail ever since.
We can hardly expect justice for the Palestinians from that kind of system