Britain’s Arms Export to Israel and International Law
ICJP official Jonathan Purcell evaluated the UK’s decision to suspend 30 of 350 arms export licenses to Israel. Purcell stated that with this step, the British government “finally” accepted the risk of Israel’s serious violation of international humanitarian law, and emphasized that this development was an important step, but that the decision was in the nature of a “partial arms embargo” and that it was late.
Recalling that British Foreign Secretary David Lammy had called for months for the previous government to publish legal advice on arms exports, Purcell said, “The government has now decided, using its legal advice, that only 9 percent of arms exports should be suspended. Why Should 91 percent of arms be suspended? “It is completely unclear whether it has been touched.” he said
Reiterating that suspending the sale of military equipment was “a step in the right direction”, Purcell said: “However, the government should immediately and completely ban arms exports. It should also provide legal advice to the public explaining how they reached the ridiculous figure of only 30.” he said
Purcell also stated that parts of F-35 warplanes were not among the suspended weapons, and pointed out that 15 percent of the components of these jets were produced in England. Pointing out that there is more than one license that directly affects F-35s, Purcell reminds that evidence that the Al Mawasi Refugee Camp in Gaza was bombed was published on the day the decision was announced.
Purcell said, “We have evidence of a clear connection between war crimes, crimes against humanity and the commission of genocide through F-35 aircraft. Considering that the parts of these aircraft are produced in England, it becomes clear that the British are also complicit in these crimes.” he said The ICJP’s assessment stated that the decision in question was “both too little and too late”, adding that “the only way to end Britain’s complicity is a complete and immediate ban on arms sales to Israel. Otherwise, Israel’s war crimes committed by “British “complication will continue.” he said.
Purcell stated that the British government claims that the weapons it supplies to Israel are “defense weapons, not offensive weapons” and is trying to spread this idea, adding: “What they are doing with this is trying to get rid of the responsibility of why They are still supplying a large number of weapons to Israel. However, in the current situation, “Given Israel’s continued genocide, the government needs to act cautiously.” He also underlined that all weapons should be banned, considering the risk of them being used in war crimes against humanity.
Britain announced that it would suspend the sale of some weapons to Israel. British Foreign Secretary David Lammy, in his speech in parliament, announced that his country would suspend the sale of some weapons to Israel. Lammy said the decision followed a review that found Britain’s arms export licenses posed “a clear risk that they could be used to facilitate or facilitate serious breaches of international humanitarian law”. Stating that approximately 30 of 350 licenses will be suspended, Lammy said, “In the face of a conflict like this, it is the legal duty of this government to review Britain’s export licenses; this is not a general ban or arms embargo.” he said
The Israeli administration stated that it was “disappointed” by Britain’s decision to suspend the sale of some weapons to the country. Despite its ongoing attacks on Gaza since October 7, 2023, and warnings of war crimes, Britain has drawn criticism from both the public and the international community for not terminating the export licenses it has given to companies selling weapons to this country. Human rights organizations and independent organizations in the country criticize Britain for “being complicit in Israel’s war crimes” on the grounds that it did not stop the sale of arms to Israel, which violated international humanitarian law in Gaza. According to data released by the UK Department of Business and Trade, more than 100 export licenses have been approved for the sale of weapons, military equipment and other controlled products from the country to Israel since October 7, 2023.
