Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Israeli media: An Israeli guard was killed in a shooting attack at the Gush Etzion Junction, and those who carried out the operation were injured
Ofer Military Court extended Nasser al-Lahham's detention for three days
Israeli media platform says a reserve soldier was found killed in Har Homa in al-Quds
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in South Lebanon: An Israeli drone strikes a vehicle in the town of al-Mansouri with two missiles
Yemeni Armed Forces: We are working to expand our military support operations and continue the naval blockade until the aggression on Gaza ends
Yemeni Armed Forces: We carried out a top-tier military operation targeting Llydd Airport with a Thulfiqar missile, which successfully achieved its goal
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: 16 Palestinians, including 10 children, were martyred in an Israeli bombardment near the al-Zawari junction in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip
US State Department sanctions UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories Francesca Albanese.
Yemeni Armed Forces: We reiterate our warning to companies dealing with ports in occupied Palestine that their vessels and crews will be targeted anywhere.
Yemeni Armed Forces: We reaffirm our commitment to preventing Israeli maritime activity in both the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea.

British arms sales permits to 'Israel' drop to 13-year low: Reuters

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Reuters
  • 18 Jun 2024 12:18
3 Min Read

British arms export licenses to "Israel" drop to nearly $1 million, as worries about the legal drawbacks of supplying arms to the occupation force caution the UK.

Listen
  • x
  • British arms sales permits to 'Israel' drop to 13-year low: Reuters
    NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, right, and Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak inspect weaponry at the Warsaw Armoured Brigade in Warsaw, Poland, on April 23, 2024. (AP)

British approval of arms export licenses to the Israeli occupation dropped sharply after the start of the war on Gaza, as the value of arms sales permits fell by more than 95%, Reuters reported. 

The current figure is a 13-year-low and is a marker of the controversy and legal troubles faced by countries providing the means for the Israeli aggression on Gaza to continue. 

Reuters acquired data from the British Department of Business and Trade's Export Control unit, as well as information provided by UK government officials, which provided the news agency with unreported and specific details on the issue. 

Though Britain does not directly engage in arms sales, it does govern the process by issuing permits allowing the UK private sector to provide military-grade systems and equipment to third parties. 

The value of these licenses dropped to $1.09 million between October 7 and December 31 last year, according to Reuters. In the same period in 2022, the British government approved nearly 20 million pounds ($25.4 million) in arms sales permits to "Israel". This includes small arms ammunition and components for combat aircraft. 

In 2017, the figure was much higher, as the British government had approved 185 million pounds, nearly $240 million, in export licenses, which included components for tanks and surface-to-air missiles. 

The British process of exporting arms to entities also involves input from government lawyers, who determine whether the sale would or could jeopardize London in international courts.

Related News

Amnesty slams UK for abusing laws to silence pro-Palestine protests

Crackdown in London: 29 arrested over Palestine Action signs

The licenses approved in the aforementioned period since the start of the war on Gaza were for items listed for commercial use or non-lethal items such as body armor, military helmets, and all-wheel drive vehicles with ballistic protection. 

Read more: UK will not block arms sales to 'Israel', says UK's Cameron

A deeper dive shows continued British complicity with 'Israel'

However, The Guardian reported that in a period from October 7, 2023, and May 31, 2024, which is a period longer than that analyzed by Reuters, the UK issued over 100 arms export licenses to the Israeli occupation. 

The figures show that, of the 108 licenses, 37 were for military use and 63 for non-military purposes, potentially including telecommunications equipment for the Israeli occupation forces. Additionally, eight open licenses were granted by the UK to "Israel".

Currently, there are 345 active licenses for arms sales to "Israel", including those issued before the start of the war on Gaza on October 7. The UK Department for Business and Trade released these figures in response to what it deemed exceptional parliamentary interest.

The data show that no arms export license applications were rejected or revoked during the war on Gaza. However, Emily Apple from the Campaign Against Arms Trade pointed out that the figures lack details on the value and specific categories of the licenses, information usually provided in the quarterly arms export licenses statistics.

Moreover, the current UK government has dealt with the issue with near complete secrecy, refusing to go public with the advice of lawyers regarding the use of British-provided arms by the Israeli government. 

Read more: 600 UK officials say arming 'Israel' breaches international law

  • Britain
  • war on Gaza
  • Palestine
  • Israel
  • Israeli war crimes
  • United Kingdom
War on Gaza

War on Gaza

Most Read

Syria demands 1/3 of Golan, Lebanese areas for 'Israel' peace deal

Syria demands 1/3 of Golan, Lebanese areas for 'Israel' normalization

  • MENA
  • 4 Jul 2025
Hezbollah SG reveals war details on Al Mayadeen for the first time

Hezbollah SG reveals war details on Al Mayadeen for the first time

  • Politics
  • 8 Jul 2025
Major ambush in Gaza kills 6 Israeli troops, injures dozens

Major ambush in Gaza kills 5 Israeli troops, injures 14

  • Politics
  • 8 Jul 2025
Al-Qassam hits IOF groupings in Khan Younis; ‘tough incident’ reported

3 Israeli soldiers killed by Resistance gunfire in south, north Gaza

  • Palestine
  • 4 Jul 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
Los Angeles police arrest a protester on Wednesday, June 11, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP)
Politics

ICE weaponized Canary Mission to silence student dissent

Palestinians hold a sign with logo that says "No God But Allah" and "Izz ad-Din al Qassam Brigades" outside the Dome of Rock Mosque, al-Quds , Friday, March 24, 2023 (AP)
Politics

Hamas conducting precision ops., gathering intel despite pressure

Tesla and SpaceX's CEO Elon Musk attends the first plenary session on of the AI Safety Summit at Bletchley Park, on Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2023 in Bletchley, England. (Leon Neal/Pool Photo via AP, File)
Technology

Elon Musk's AI chatbot Grok goes rogue; X CEO steps down

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrives to speak to the media, Tuesday, July 8, 2025, on Capitol Hill in Washington (AP)
Politics

Israeli NGO seeks Netanyahu’s removal, cites rule of law breach

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS