UK to suspend some arms sales to Israel, foreign secretary announces

The UK will suspend some arms sales to Israel, Foreign Secretary David Lammy has announced.

Mr Lammy said the decision follows a review of export licences for UK arms, which found there was a “clear risk” that they might be used to commit “a serious violation of international humanitarian law”.

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Around 30 of 350 licences will be suspended, Mr Lammy said, stressing that “this is not a blanket ban, this is not an arms embargo”.

He said: “Facing a conflict such as this, it is this government’s legal duty to review Britain’s export licences.

“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.”

The government has been under pressure to take a tougher stance against Israel amid the war in Gaza.

The UK does not directly supply Israel with weapons, but does grant export licences for British companies to sell arms to the country.

Earlier in the year, under the previous Tory government, civil servants overseeing arms exports to Israel requested to “cease work immediately” over fears they could be complicit in war crimes.

Mr Lammy told the Commons that after raising his own concerns while in opposition, he immediately launched a review upon taking office and “committed to sharing the review’s conclusions”.

He said the outcome does not mean that Israel has broken humanitarian law, as the UK government “have not and could not” arbitrate on that.

“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,” he said.

He added that the decision will be kept under review and “the UK continues to support Israel’s right to self-defence in accordance with international law”.

‘Vital questions unanswered’

Green MP Ellie Chowns said today’s announcement is a “welcome and significant step, but leaves vital questions unanswered” – primarily, why so many licences are being exempt from the suspension.

She said there is “no justification at all” for continuing to license F-35 fighter jets.

“There is an ongoing and clear risk and we urge the foreign secretary to look again and suspend these licences,” she said.

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But on the other end of the political spectrum, the DUP’s Sammy Wilson said the only people overjoyed by this decision “will be the Hamas terrorists”.

The war was triggered when Palestinian Islamist group Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October, killing 1,200 and taking about 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

At least 40,691 Palestinians have been killed and 94,060 injured in Israel’s subsequent military offensive in Gaza, the enclave’s Hamas-run health ministry said in a statement on Saturday.

US President Joe Biden said today that a final hostage deal between Israel and Hamas is “very close” – but that Benjamin Netanyahu is not doing enough to secure an agreement.

It adds to intense pressure on the Israeli PM, who faced a general strike today over failure to secure a hostage deal and mass protests over the weekend after the killing of six of those held captive in Gaza.