LONDON – Benjamin Netanyahu condemned Britain’s “shameful” decision to suspend the sale of some weapons components used by Israeli forces in Gaza.
UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy announced on Monday that 30 licences, including parts for fighter planes, helicopters and drones, would be suspended immediately after a review concluded that weapons of actual danger could be used in breach of international humanitarian law.
In a strongly worded statement from Netanyahu’s office on Tuesday, the Israeli prime minister’s team said Britain’s “shameful decision will not change Israel’s determination to defeat the genocidal terrorist organization Hamas, which brutally murdered 1,200 people, including 14 British citizens, on October 7.”
And – drawing parallels with the UK’s World War II fight against Nazi Germany – the Israeli government added: “Instead of standing with Israel, an ally defending itself against democratic barbarism, Britain’s misguided decision will only embolden Hamas.”
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.
Labor ‘abandons Israel’
Britain has only 350 export licenses with Israel. The UK has stressed that its shift 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.
It 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 an International Criminal Court arrest warrant against Netanyahu.
But Labor is facing a domestic backlash from some quarters, along with Conservative Prime Minister Boris Johnson. asks on Tuesday: “Why Lemmy and [Keir] Starmer leaves Israel? Do they want Hamas to win?
Britain’s chief rabbi Ephraim Mirvis said the ad would “beggar belief” and “encourage our common 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.”
Helen Whately, spokeswoman for the UK’s opposition Conservative Party, questioned whether it was “a sign of Labor coming under pressure from the backbenches rather than doing the right thing.”
For some critics of UK policy on the Gaza conflict, the government has not gone far enough. Notably, components of the F-35 stealth fighter jet were absent from the suspension, amid concerns about a knock-on effect on the defense supply chain.
Sacha Deshmukh, UK chief executive of campaign group Amnesty International, said: “We need a complete halt to all UK arms transfers – including components for the F-35 supplied to the USA – with no loopholes. for Israel.”
Netanyahu’s office vowed on Tuesday: “With or without British arms, Israel will win this war and secure our common future.”
Sam Blewett contributed reporting.
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