LONDON – Boris Johnson accused Britain’s new Labor government of “abandoning” Israel after the UK suspended sales of some weapons components used by Israeli forces in Gaza.
UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy made the announcement on Monday The 30 licenses, including parts for fighter planes, helicopters and drones, will be put on hold immediately after a review concludes that the weapons may be used in violation of international humanitarian law.
“Hamas is still holding many innocent Jews hostage while Israel tries to prevent a repeat of the massacre of October 7,” former Prime Minister Johnson wrote. On Tuesday X. “Why Lemmy and [Keir] Starmer leaves Israel? Do they want Hamas to win?
Johnson has been a longtime ally of Israel, Call any consideration “Insane” and “shameful” ending arms sales earlier this year.
Britain has only 350 export licenses with Israel. The UK has stressed that its move does not amount to an arms embargo, but said the number of civilian deaths and scale of destruction in the current Gaza conflict is cause for great concern.
However, the move has been sharply criticized by Israel. The country’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant He said “Deeply disappointed” by the restrictions, while Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz The decision said “sends a very problematic message” to Hamas and Iran.
Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis made the announcement “beggars belief” and “will serve to encourage our shared enemies.” He questioned the timing of the decision, which “came at the same moment that six hostages murdered in cold blood by brutal terrorists were being buried by their families.”
Opposition Conservative Party spokeswoman Helen Whateley questioned whether it was “a sign of Labor coming under pressure from the backbenches rather than doing the right thing.”
‘clear danger’
Standing up for the move on Tuesday morning, UK Defense Secretary John Haley said the UK had a duty to “tell the stark truth” to its “closest friends” and insisted it was committed to supporting Israel if it came under direct attack again. is
“It has not been determined by the government that Israel has breached international humanitarian law,” he told Times Radio.
“It is a conclusion, under the rules we have, that there is a clear risk that some of the UK’s arms exports could be used in the Gaza conflict in breach of international law. And that is why the Foreign Secretary announced the decision in the Commons yesterday.
The move is the latest shift in Middle East policy since Labor swept to power in a landslide victory in July. The government has restored funding to UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, and dropped its opposition to the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
For some critics of UK policy on the Gaza conflict, Monday’s announcement did not go far enough.
Notably, components of the F-35 stealth fighter jet were absent from the suspension. “The government needs to ban all arms sales,” said Suspended Labor MP Zarah Sultana.
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