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Matt Murphy & Thomas Spencer
BBC Verify
The conduct of Israel in Gaza has been strongly criticized by UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy, who has mentioned that Britain might take further action if Israel does not change its approach in the strip. Lammy expressed disappointment in the inability of the international community to put an end to the war and condemned the killings of Palestinians at aid centers by Israeli forces. There has been a significant focus on the UK’s assistance to Israel since its military campaign began following the attacks on October 7. Many of the weapons used in IDF strikes have origins in Western countries, including the UK.
Despite not being a major arms supplier, the UK has approved arms export licenses to Israel surpassing £500 million since 2015. The focus has been on British-made parts for the F-35 jet, a sophisticated fighter used by Israel in strikes on Gaza. The UK provides around 13-15% of components for the jet, including crucial parts like ejector seats, fuselage, targeting lasers, and weapon release system. The Labour Party suspended some arms export licenses last year, but parts for the F-35 were not affected as they are part of a global supply chain, not directly sent to Israel.
Critics have labeled the UK’s approach as having a significant loophole, as UK-manufactured parts for the F-35 end up in Israeli jets through the US, limiting the effectiveness of UK export bans. The UK also played a role in developing the Hermes drone, used in Gaza, though the UK variant is unarmed. The UK has not implemented a blanket ban on arms exports, stating the importance of Israel being able to defend itself. Information on active military export licenses shows that 161 relate to the military, while others could include items like trainer aircraft and naval equipment.
The UK’s relationship with Israel in terms of intelligence sharing has raised questions, with the extent remaining unclear since the October 7 attacks. The RAF has conducted surveillance flights over Gaza, but Foreign Secretary David Lammy emphasized that no military intelligence was shared with the IDF. However, acknowledgement was made that UK drones assisted in locating Israeli hostages taken by Hamas. The UK denied comment on whether Israeli aircraft have access to RAF bases, emphasizing the routine authorization for limited allies’ access to UK air bases
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