The United Kingdom government has suspended 30 arms export licenses to Israel for potential use in serious violations of international humanitarian law, following a decision taken by the new government. It is the third time in two months that the government has made a different decision to that of its predecessor on Israel and the Middle East. The government’s analysis underlined that the Export Control Act 2002 and the Export Control Order 2008 set out the controls that must be in place when goods are exported for military use or potential military use. The decision followed a rigorous process in line with the UK’s legal obligations according to Business and Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds.
Approximately 350 arms exports to Israel take place, of which less than 10 percent are being suspended. The UK is not a significant arms exporter to Israel in any case. Although less than 10 percent of the total arms exports will be suspended, messages and signals matter in politics – domestically and internationally. The Israeli government, which was informed privately before the public announcement, expressed disappointment in response. Senior government officials stated that they were legally obligated to suspend these export licenses after they came to a conclusion.
Two other decisions made in the last two months include the resumption of funding for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, and the dropping of plans to challenge the right of the International Criminal Court to seek an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Individually, each of these decisions has subtlety and nuance; however, they suggest collectively a more Israel-sceptic posture than the previous Conservative government adopted.
The conflict in the Middle East situation has been a big issue for voters at the general election in seats with a substantial Muslim population. The conflict in the Middle East and Labour’s approach to it have demonstrated the need for political pressure in the past year from those who claim it has been too unthinkingly supportive of Israel. In terms of deaths, the death toll in Gaza has been cited by many critics and stands at well over 40,000 Palestinians killed as a result of Israeli military action, as stated by the Hamas-run health ministry. Therefore, both the general message and signal being conveyed by a new government need to be borne in mind
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