UK suspends some arm sales to Israel, citing humanitarian ‘risk’

The United Kingdom is suspending the sale of some arms to Israel, citing a risk the weapons pose in violating international humanitarian law.

U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy said Monday that around 30 of the total 350 licenses would be immediately halted, following a review commissioned after the July election.

The licenses include equipment that goes into military aircraft, helicopters, drones and ground targeting machines that the U.K. has found to be used in the “current conflict in Gaza.”

“It is with regret that I inform the House today, the assessment I have received leaves me unable to conclude anything other than that for certain U.K. arms exports to Israel, there does exist a clear risk that they might be used to commit or facilitate a serious violation of international humanitarian law,” Lammy told lawmakers.

The U.K. is among a group of Israel’s allies facing growing pressure from constituents about halting weapons exports to Israel as the death toll in Gaza rises past 40,000 people in the nearly 11-month war, The Associated Press reported.

The announcement follows the news from Israel that six hostages were found dead, killed by Hamas shortly before forces reached them in an underground tunnel in Rafah.

The U.K.’s announcement breaks from other allied countries, including the United States. President Biden said Monday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was not doing enough to get a cease-fire deal.

The British announcement is not a “determination of innocence or guilt” about whether Israel had broken international law and was not an arms embargo, Lammy said.

In his remarks, Lammy highlighted the “immense loss of civilian life,” suffering and destruction caused by Israel in responding to the Oct. 7 Hamas attack.

He said it’s been difficult to come to a conclusion about Israel’s conduct but “His Majesty’s Government” decided that Israel could “reasonably do much more” to help civilians in Gaza with food and medical resources.

Lammy said he and his predecessor, David Cameron, raised concerns with the Israeli government, who, he said did not address them “satisfactorily.”

“There is no equivalence between Hamas terrorists and Israel’s democratic government – or indeed, Iran and their partners and proxies. But to license arms exports to Israel, we must assess their compliance with international humanitarian law notwithstanding the abhorrence of their opponents’ tactics and ideology,” he said.