Suspending some arms exports to Israel doesn’t go far enough

The government’s decision to suspend some arms export licenses for items used in Israel’s military operations in Gaza represents a welcome break with the position of previous UK governments. Foreign Secretary David Lammy told parliament he was ‘unable to conclude anything other than that, for certain UK arms exports to Israel, there exists a clear risk that they might be used to commit or facilitate a serious violation of international humanitarian law’.

In plain words, advice from government lawyers is that Israel is breaching international humanitarian law. The suspension of export licenses is an implicit recognition that supplying arms to Israel makes Britain complicit in Israel’s incessant and inhuman bombardment of Palestinians in the Occupied Territories.

The suspension of 30 items out of a total of approximately 350 arms export licences to Israel, however, does not go nearly far enough. We need more action, and we need it now.

The Business and Trade Department which is responsible for export licensing has provided a summary of the assessment which led to the government decision:
• Israel ‘has not fulfilled its duty as Occupying Power ‘to ensure – to the fullest extent of the means available to it – those supplies essential to the survival of the population of Gaza’.
• There are ‘credible claims of the mistreatment of detainees’.
• Despite mass casualties, however, lawyers make no judgement about ‘allegations regarding Israel’s conduct of hostilities’ – such as intended targets and anticipated civilian harm.

A statement from Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds takes us to the heart of the matter. He said: ‘an important commitment to maintaining the F-35 programme which is integral to international security’ will remain. Suspensions of these licenses would have a significant effect on the F-35 fleet ‘with serious implications for international peace and security’.

Britain will continue supplying components for the development of US F-35 fighter bombers. These aircraft are described as ‘ensuring US and coalition partner security well into the 21st century’. Nine countries, including the UK, are involved in this US project. Britain supplies 15% of the components. Israel uses F-35s in attacks on Gaza.

Earlier this year, as Foreign Secretary in the Sunak government, David Cameron dismissed the idea of withholding arms export licenses for Israel as tokenism, claiming Britain supplied less than 1% of Israel’s arms. This calculation of how many items the UK supplies to Israel directly, ignores the issue of F-35s. Boris Johnson and some of the Tory-supporting media have attacked the Starmer government’s decision as ‘abandoning’ Israel.

The UK suspension of some arms to Israel adds weight to the growing international demands for action. It is, in large part, the result of over 10 months of huge mobilisations on the streets across Britain, which helped elect a small but important number of independent MPs in July. They have been joined by a few Labour backbenchers in calling for a UK embargo.

This unresolved issue will not go away. Prime Minister Netanyahu insists the military onslaught will continue to the bitter end, till Hamas is ‘eradicated’. He persists in blocking attempts at peace negotiations by moving Israel’s goal posts.

CND will continue to press for more action on exports by Britain.

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