The UK will suspend some arms sales to Israel, Foreign Secretary David Lammy has announced.
Mr Lammy said the decision follows a review of export licences for UK arms, which found there was a “clear risk” they might be used to commit “a serious violation of international humanitarian law”.
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Around 30 of 350 licences will be suspended, Mr Lammy said, stressing that “this is not a blanket ban, this is not an arms embargo”.
But the Israeli foreign minister Israel Katz said the decision “sends a very problematic message” to Hamas and its backer Iran.
Mr Lammy said the government had a legal duty to review Britain’s export licences amid the war in Gaza.
Explaining his decision, he told the Commons: “It is with regret that I inform the House today the assessment I have received leaves me unable to conclude anything other than that for certain UK arms exports to Israel, there does exist a clear risk that they might be used to commit or facilitate a serious violation of international humanitarian law.”
The suspension will include components that go into military aircraft being used in Gaza, including helicopters and drones, as well as items which facilitate ground targeting.
However, it will not include parts for multinational F-35 fighter jets – something that has concerned opposition MPs and human rights charities.
The government said doing so would have a “significant effect on the global F-35 fleet with serious implications for international peace and security”.
The UK does not directly supply Israel with weapons, but does grant export licences for British companies to sell arms to the country.
Earlier in the year, under the previous Tory government, civil servants overseeing arms exports to Israel requested to “cease work immediately” over fears they could be complicit in war…
