British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Wednesday (4/9) defended his government's decision to suspend some arms deliveries to Israel, saying the move was necessary to comply with international law.
“We certainly recognise and support Israel’s right to defend itself and have taken action to support that right to defend itself… But in relation to licensing, this is not an Israeli issue. This is a framework for all licensing that must be kept under review,” Starmer said.
“It's about whether we comply with international law or not. We only have the strength of our argument because we comply with international law,” he told British lawmakers.
Israel strongly condemned the move, saying it would only strengthen Hamas militants in Gaza. Israel attacked Gaza after the Hamas militant group killed more than 1,200 people and took 253 hostages in a cross-border terror attack on Oct. 7, 2023.
Meanwhile, the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza, a territory run by Hamas, said that as of September 4, at least 40,786 Palestinians had been killed in a series of Israeli ground and air attacks. Another 94,224 were injured.
Significant step
Britain on Monday suspended about 30 of its 350 arms export licenses to Israel following a legal review. Foreign Secretary David Lammy made the announcement in parliament on Monday.
“The assessments I have received leave me unable to conclude anything other than that for certain UK arms exports to Israel, there is a clear risk that they could be used to commit or facilitate serious breaches of international humanitarian law,” Lammy told MPs, adding that the export ban covers “equipment that we assess will be used in the current conflict in Gaza, such as critical components that could be used in military aircraft, including fighter jets, helicopters and drones, as well as devices that could facilitate ground targeting.”
Yossi Mekelberg, a Middle East analyst at London-based Chatham House, said the UK move would have little impact on the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) operations. “The vast majority of Israel’s weapons and ammunition actually come from the United States and Germany. That’s almost 99% of the weapons supplied to Israel,” he said.
But the symbolism of Britain's move is significant, Mekelberg added.
“This suspension sends a clear message that you can be friends of Israel, you can support Israel – including the (ruling) Labor Party – support Israel, especially after October 7, and they do. But at the same time they can fundamentally disagree on the way Israel fights and the way it uses its weapons.”
“I think we can start to see a change (in the UK’s approach), and I think what some of us are asking is whether they will recognise a Palestinian state. That would probably be the biggest step forward,” Mekelberg added.
Political impact
Andreas Krieg, a research fellow at the Institute of Middle Eastern Studies at Kings College London, said the political impact of an export ban would outweigh its practical impact.
“The UK may not be the strongest military power in the Middle East, but they have significant soft power or diplomacy and influence. This shows that for the first time Israel’s close partners and allies do not believe the Israeli government when they say they are following the laws of armed conflict,” Krieg told VOA.
“The fact that the UK is now saying there is potential doubt, this will cast even greater doubt on the Israeli campaign and the involvement of other countries – including Germany and the United States – in aiding and supporting the Israeli campaign, particularly in Gaza, but also potentially in the West Bank,” he added.
Krieg said the UK move would make “other European countries perhaps want to re-examine their arms export licences and the extent to which their weapons are being used in what is considered an illegal war, a partly illegal war in Gaza,” Krieg said.
The US stopped exporting 1-ton bombs to Israel in May over concerns they could be used in a ground invasion of the city of Rafah. But Washington continues to supply billions of dollars worth of other weapons.
Germany, which supplies about 39% of Israel's arms imports, has not said it plans to suspend any arms deliveries.
Israel has vehemently denied violating international law in its war on Gaza and claims it only targets Hamas militants, who it accuses of hiding in schools, hospitals and mosques, and using them as human shields.
Some critics accuse the IDF of carrying out indiscriminate attacks on civilians and targeting basic infrastructure.
A number of Western countries, including the United States and Britain, have designated Hamas as a terror group. (em/lt)
