UK Suspends Arms Export Licenses to Israel
Minister David Lammy, in a speech to the British Parliament, announced that his country would suspend some of the arms export licenses it provides to Israel. Lammy said the decision followed a review that found “a clear risk that Britain’s arms export licenses could be used to commit or facilitate serious breaches of international humanitarian law”.
Minister Lammy stated that approximately 30 of the 350 licenses in total would be suspended and said, “In such a conflict environment, reviewing Britain’s export licenses is a legal responsibility of this government. However, this is not a general ban or arms embargo.”
Lammy emphasized that they do not arbitrate on whether Israel violated international humanitarian law and cannot make such an assessment. “This is a prospective evaluation and is not a determination of innocence or guilt. It does not affect any future evaluation by competent courts,” he said.
Criticisms of England
Britain faces serious criticism for not terminating the export licenses it grants to companies that continue to sell weapons to Israel, despite its continuous attacks on Gaza since October 7, 2023, and warnings that it is committing war crimes. This situation, which attracts the reaction of both the public and the international community, is frequently expressed by human rights organizations and independent organizations.
These organizations accuse the UK of “being complicit in Israel’s war crimes” on the grounds that it did not stop the sale of arms to Israel, which violates international humanitarian law in Gaza. According to data provided 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. As of May 2023, the number of available arms and military equipment export licenses “with the stated destination of Israel” reached 345.
