UK suspends some arms exports to Israel

The discussion about suspending arms sales began under the last Conservative government but it came to a head under the new Labour administration.

Labour said it had not changed its position on supporting Israel’s security, which it describes as “solid” and “unyielding”.

But this marks the third time since Labour took power in July that they have deviated from the previous Tory government’s approach.

Two weeks into government, Labour announced it would resume funding UNRWA, the UN’s agency for Palestinian refugees following a review of alleged links between its staff and terror groups.

Days later Labour announced it was dropping plans to challenge the right of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to seek an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The Labour government has called for an immediate ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas, the release of all hostages and an increase in the amount of aid to civilians in Gaza.

Some backbench Labour MPs have been urging Prime Minister Keir Starmer to go further and ban British arms sales to Israel completely.

Labour lost a number of former strongholds to independent candidates campaigning on pro-Palestinian platforms in the general election.

Already the government’s critics are saying the suspension has not gone far enough.

Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesperson Layla Moran said her party would “carefully scrutinise” the details of the announcement, “including those export licences which the government has not suspended”.

“We are concerned that the decision is made solely on risk of use in Gaza and not the West Bank,” she added.

Green MP Ellie Chowns asked why so many licences were exempt from the suspension.

“I am very concerned that the government is not consistently applying the principle that there is a clear risk of UK licensed weapons being used in breach of international humanitarian law,” she said.

But Conservative MPs – including the shadow foreign secretary Andrew Mitchell – have criticised the decision.

Mr Mitchell said the move had al”l the appearance of something designed to satisfy Labour’s backbenches, while at the same time not offending Israel, an ally in the Middle East”.

“I fear it will fail on both counts,” he added.

The Campaign Against Arms Trade says that since 2008, the UK has granted arms export licences to Israel worth £574m ($727m) in total.

Research by Parliament, external shows the value of licences granted has declined from £42m in 2022 to £18.2m in 2023.