Britain is restricting the sale of weapons to Israel because of the Gaza war. The government in London suspended 30 of the approximately 350 arms export licenses currently in place, Foreign Minister David Lammy said in Parliament in London. There is a great risk that the weapons could be used to “facilitate a serious violation of international human rights.” According to media reports, fighter jet and drone parts are also affected.
Given the scale of the conflict, it is the government’s duty to review Britain’s export licences, Lammy said. “This is not a blanket ban. This is not an arms embargo.”
Britain does not sell weapons directly to Israel, but grants export licenses to arms companies. The social democratic government of the new Prime Minister Keir Starmer has been under pressure for some time to cancel the licenses. Starmer’s Labour Party has traditionally shown strong solidarity with the Palestinians.
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