UK says it’s suspending some arms exports to Israel over the risk of breaking international law

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government said on Monday it was suspending some weapons exports to Israel because they could be used to break international law – a move with limited military effect aimed at increasing pressure by Israel’s frustrated allies to end military ties with Israel. War in Gaza,

Foreign Secretary David Lammy said UK Government They concluded that there was a clear risk that some of the items could be used to commit or facilitate serious violations of international humanitarian law.

He told lawmakers that the decision relates to approximately 30 of the 350 existing export licences that we assess are for use in the current conflict in Gaza, including parts for military aircraft, helicopters and drones, as well as items used for ground targeting.

He said the decision was not a “determination of innocence or guilt” about whether Israel had broken international law, and was not an arms embargo.

Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Galant said X“It is very disappointing to learn of the restrictions imposed by the British Government on export licences for the Israeli defence establishment.

The United Kingdom is one of Israel’s long-term allies whose governments are under growing pressure to stop arms exports, as more than 100,000 Israeli civilians have been killed. 11 month old conflict In GazaMore than 40,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry, with the death toll making no distinction between militants and civilians.

The war began on October 7 when Hamas militants and others crossed into Israel, killing about 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and taking about 250 hostages. About 100 hostages remain in Gaza, about a third of whom are believed to be dead.

British firms sell relatively small amounts of weapons and components to Israel compared with major suppliers such as the US and Germany. Earlier this year, the government said military exports to Israel in 2022 were worth 42 million pounds ($53 million).

But Britain is one of Israel’s closest allies, so the decision has some symbolic significance. The military affairs correspondent for Israel’s Channel 13 TV said the move could be even more serious if other allies follow suit.

Sam Perlow-Freeman, research coordinator for the campaign group Against Arms Trade, said the announcement was “a belated but welcome step.” But he said it was “outrageous and unfair” that parts for F-35 fighter jets were not among the exports being suspended.

The government’s move comes following a petition filed by two groups, Palestinian human rights organisation Al-Haq and the UK-based Global Legal Action Network. Legal challenge Its purpose is to prevent Britain from granting any licenses to export weapons to Israel. The case is yet to be heard by a full court.

Dearbhla Minogue, a senior counsel at the Global Legal Action Network, said the government’s “significant decision vindicates everything Palestinians have been saying for months.”

Britain’s centre-left Labour government, led by Starmer, elected in July, has faced pressure from some of its own members and MPs to do more to press Israel to stop the violence. In the election, the party lost several seats it had been expected to win to the pro-Palestinian Independents, as Starmer refused to call for a ceasefire after Israel’s retaliatory strikes after 7 October.

In a departure from the stance of its predecessor, Starmer’s government said in July that Britain would not intervene in a request by the International Criminal Court for an arrest warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Starmer also restored funding for the United Nations Palestinian relief agency UNRWA, which was suspended by Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s government in January.

Lamy, who has visited Israel twice in the past two months as part of Western efforts to broker a ceasefire, said he is a Zionist and a “friend of Israel” but called the violence in Gaza “appalling.”

“Israeli actions in Gaza are causing heavy loss of civilian life, extensive damage to civilian infrastructure, and enormous suffering,” he said.