UK decision to suspend some arms sales to Israel 'falls gravely short'

Britain will immediately suspend 30 of its 350 arms export licences to Israel because there was a risk such equipment might be used to commit serious violations of international humanitarian law, Foreign Secretary David Lammy said on Monday.

Lammy said the decision to suspend the licences did not amount to a blanket ban or an arms embargo, but only involved those that could be used in the war in Gaza.

"We recognise, of course, Israel's need to defend itself against security threats, but we are deeply worried by the methods that Israel's employed, and by reports of civilian casualties and the destruction of civilian infrastructure particularly," Lammy told parliament.

Soon after the Labour Party won an election in July, Lammy said he would update a review on arms sales to Britain's ally Israel to ensure these complied with international law.

"It is with regret that I inform the House [of Commons, lower house of parliament] 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," Lammy said.

He said the suspension would not have a material impact on Israel's security, and Britain continued to support its right to self-defence.

Military components

Among the items included under the arms export suspension will be components for military aircraft including fighter jets, helicopters, and drones.

But, parts for F-35 fighters will be exempted, except where going directly to Israel, as the government said it was not possible to suspend these without prejudicing the jets' entire global programme.

"The government’s statement today that it is suspending 30 arms export licences to Israel is a belated, but welcome move, finally acting upon the overwhelming evidence of Israeli war crimes in Gaza," said Sam Perlo-Freeman, research coordinator for the Campaign Against Arms Trade said.

"But exempting parts for Israel's F-35 is utterly outrageous and unjustifiable."

Unlike the US, Britain's government does not give arms directly to Israel but rather issues licences for companies to sell weapons, with input from lawyers on whether they complied with international law.

Last month, the United States approved the sale of $20 billion in fighter jets and other military equipment to Israel.

'Falls gravely short'

Amnesty International UK's chief executive Sacha Deshmukh said in a statement that the government's decision to partially suspend arms sales was a belated acceptance of "the very clear and disturbing evidence of Israeli war crimes in Gaza".

But he and other rights groups said it did not go far enough, and called the exemption for F-35 warplane components "a catastrophically bad decision" as the jets were being used "extensively" in Gaza.

"We need to see a complete halt – with no loopholes, including for components for F-35s supplied to the USA for onward export to the Israeli military – to all UK arms transfers to Israel," Deshmukh added.

The Muslim Association of Britain welcomed the UK's decision but said it "falls gravely short of London's responsibility to uphold human rights and international law".

"Israel stands accused of genocide in Gaza, and of murdering over 40,000 Palestinians," the association said in a statement posted to social media platform X.

"By continuing to provide arms and components, the UK is complicit in these atrocities.

"We demand an immediate and total halt to all arms sales to Israel. Anything less makes the UK an enabler of ongoing war crimes."

The International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP) also called for a full ban on arms sales.

"It is important that a ban has finally been implemented, but it does not go nearly far enough, and it has come far too long into Israel's genocide in Gaza," the pro-Palestinian organisation of lawyers, academics, and politicians said in a press release.

ICJP senior public affairs officer Jonathan Purcell said it was "clear as day" that Israel was "violating international law".

"Too many Palestinians have endured irreversible losses and harm – we need a total ban now," he added.

Israel's Foreign Minister Israel Katz said on X that Britain's decision on arms exports "sends a very problematic message" to Hamas and "its agents in Iran".

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said on X that he was "deeply disheartened to learn of the sanctions placed by the UK government on export licenses to Israel's defense establishment".

The decision "comes at a time when we fight a war on 7 different fronts" and "when we mourn 6 hostages who were executed in cold blood by Hamas inside tunnels in Gaza", Gallant said.

The Israeli military said Sunday that the bodies of six captives, all taken alive during a Hamas-led 7 October attack on Israel, were recovered from southern Gaza.

'Not a determination of innocence or guilt'

Both Israeli and Palestinian leaders are being investigated for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Israel's war on Gaza has killed more than 40,700 people, according to Palestinian health authorities.

The 7 October attack on Israel killed 1,200 people, by Israeli tallies.

Lammy said Monday's decision was not a judgment on whether Israel had breached international law or not.

Israel and Palestinian leaders have dismissed allegations of war crimes.

"This is a forward-looking evaluation, not a determination of innocence or guilt, and it does not prejudge any future determinations by the competent courts," Lammy said.

According to information provided by government officials to Reuters and data from the Department for Business and Trade's Export Control unit, the value of permits granted for the sale of military equipment to its ally fell by more than 95 percent to a 13-year low after the start of the war on Gaza.

Many of the licences approved in the period after the start of the war were for items listed for "commercial use" or non-lethal items such as body armour, military helmets, or all-wheel drive vehicles with ballistic protection.

Despite winning a landslide victory in July, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's Labour Party did suffer significant setbacks in areas with large Muslim populations and he has been under pressure from some of his lawmakers to take a firmer line with Israel over the war.

(Reuters, The New Arab, AFP)