The government has taken the decision that the UK will suspend arms export licences to Israel for use in military operations in Gaza, following a review of Israel’s compliance with international humanitarian law.
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| Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, with troops of the Israel Defence Forces (IDF). Photo: @netanyahu |
The UK’s robust export licensing criteria states that the government will not issue export licences if the items might be used to commit or facilitate serious violations of International Humanitarian Law.
The suspension will not change the UK’s steadfast support for Israel’s security, and the decision will be kept under review.
On day one in office, the Foreign Secretary commissioned a thorough review into Israel’s compliance with International Humanitarian Law, and has travelled to Israel twice since being appointed to the role to understand the situation on the ground.
These assessments have led to serious concerns about aspects of Israel’s compliance, and the government has concluded there is a clear risk that items exported to Israel under these 30 licences might be used in serious violations of IHL and is therefore suspending certain exports immediately from today. gov.uk
