UK will not block arms sales to 'Israel', says UK's Cameron
2 Min Read
The foreign secretary maintains that Britain's stance on export licenses remains unaltered following a review of the most recent legal counsel.
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Britain's Foreign Secretary David Cameron arrives to attend the annual Commonwealth Day Service of Celebration at Westminster Abbey, in London, on Monday, March 11, 2024. (AP)
British Foreign Minister David Cameron announced on Tuesday that, after reviewing the latest legal advice, Britain would not cease arms sales to "Israel" by British companies.
Six months into the Israeli air and ground aggression on Gaza, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's government faces significant pressure to revoke licenses permitting arms exports to "Israel".
"The latest assessment leaves our position on export licenses unchanged. This is consistent with the advice that I and other ministers have received," Cameron said at a press conference with his US counterpart Antony Blinken in Washington.
"And as ever, we will keep the position under review." Britain supplied 42 million pounds ($53 million) of arms to "Israel" in 2022.
Read next: UK support for 'Israel' 'not unconditional': FM Cameron
Last week, Conservative peer Lord Nicholas Soames stated that it's time for Britain to halt arms shipments to "Israel", particularly following the killing of seven international aid workers this week.
The sentiment against unquestioned support for "Israel" is spreading within British ruling circles, fueled by leaked audio recordings revealing the government's disregard for legal advice warning against supplying weapons to "Israel" for its ongoing genocide.
More than 600 lawyers, academics, retired senior judges, including three former Supreme Court Justices one of whom is the court’s former President Lady Hale, former court of appeal judges, and more than 60 KCs warned that the UK government is violating international law by perpetually arming "Israel", The Guardian reported.
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, The Guardian added.
