UK arms exports to 'Israel' in numbers, despite rising calls for halt
3 Min Read
Labour insists that any such suspension will only apply if legal advice suggests "Israel" has violated international law.
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Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak addresses the media at Downing Street in London, on March 1, 2024. (AP)
Following the attack on the World Central Kitchen by "Israel" that killed 7 aid workers this week, the UK government, once again, comes face to face with renewed calls to stop exporting weapons to "Israel" due to its continued violation of international humanitarian law (IHL).
According to the Aid Worker Security Database, the attack brought the number of aid workers killed by "Israel" since October to 203.
In response, a spokesperson for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he was “appalled” and believes “too many aid workers and ordinary civilians have lost their lives in Gaza and the situation is increasingly intolerable.”
Over 600 lawyers earlier co-signed an open letter to the British government to suspend weapons export licenses that permit their sale from UK-based companies to "Israel".
Signed by former Supreme Court president Lady Hale, the letter states that the UK’s inaction “falls significantly short of your government’s obligations under international law.”
The signatories, in a 17-page legal opinion letter sent to the Prime Minister on the evening of April 3, labeled the current situation in Gaza as "catastrophic", emphasizing that the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that there is a "plausible risk of genocide" committed by the Israeli occupation against Gaza, which makes the UK legally obliged to take steps to prevent it, as per The Guardian.
Read more: UK civil servants request to stop work over arms sales to "Israel"
Both the Liberal Democrats and the Scottish National Party already called for military exports to be suspended, but Labour claims suspension will only apply if legal advice suggests "Israel" has violated international law.
The real question to pose in this context would be how much has the UK sent to "Israel" in weapons?
Almost £57 million ($71.9 million) worth of weapons have been exported to "Israel" from 2022 to June 2023, as per data from the Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT).
The hefty package includes 151 “standard” licenses – including £19mln ($23.9mln) for aircraft, helicopters, and drones – £10mln ($12.6mln) for armored vehicles and tanks, and £3mln ($3.7mln) for grenades, bombs, missiles, and countermeasures.
It noted that the total value of the UK’s military exports to "Israel" reached £487mln ($615mln).
Meanwhile, CAAT revealed that the drone used for the April 2 attack on WCK was powered by a UK-made engine component.
CAAT spokesperson Emily Apple said, “This government is complicit in the murder of UK aid workers in Gaza. It has had every opportunity to impose an arms embargo and has refused to do so.”
“Open” licences are excluded, as they do not limit the quantity or value of exports, and CAAT says that UK sources provide "Israel" with up to 15% of the value of their F-35 planes used in airstrikes.
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