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LONDON — Britain is suspending the sale of a raft of arms components being used by Israel in Gaza after concluding there is a real risk weapons could be used in violation of international humanitarian law.
U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy announced Monday that 30 licenses, including parts for fighter planes, helicopters and drones will be immediately put on hold.
After a review commissioned straight after Labour’s landslide election victory in July, the government concluded there have been possible breaches on humanitarian access and the treatment of detainees.
Insufficient evidence was found to rule on further breaches based on how Israel has conducted its post-Oct. 7 campaign — but the government assessment did determine that the number of civilian deaths and the scale of the destruction caused great concern.
“The assessment I have received leaves me unable to conclude anything other than that for certain U.K. 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,” Lammy told MPs in the House of Commons.
The Cabinet minister argued that Israel could “reasonably do more” to ensure food and medical supplies reach civilians in Gaza facing an “appalling humanitarian situation.” He also said the government is “deeply concerned by credible claims of mistreatment of detainees.”
On two trips to Israel during his time in office, Lammy made his own assessments that there are serious concerns about Israel’s compliance.
“This is not a blanket ban, this is not an arms embargo,” Lammy stressed in the Commons. The U.K. has taken similar action on multiple occasions going back to Margaret Thatcher’s time in office in 1982.
Fresh review
Britain has just over 350 export licenses with Israel — representing a tiny amount of the nation’s total imports.
But the decision will likely anger Benjamin Netanyahu’s administration, just as Israel’s prime minister faces increased pressure from domestic protests and strikes.
In April, then-Foreign Secretary David Cameron, a Conservative former prime minister, announced that arms sales to Israel would not be suspended. But the fresh review under a new government has determined otherwise.
Export licensing criteria means Britain won’t issue export licenses if there’s a risk the items could be used to commit serious violations of international humanitarian law.
Items facilitating ground targeting were also included, but absent from the suspension was components for F-35 stealth fighter jets — except where parts go directly to Israel. The majority of such parts go into a global pool and it was not deemed possible to bar those without denting the global fleet.
Licenses covering arms not being used by the Israel Defense Forces in the current conflict are not included in the suspension. These include training aircraft and naval equipment, as well as items for civilians, such as food testing chemicals and telecoms components.
British officials were keen to stress that they have not arbitrated on whether Israel has actually breached international humanitarian law, but instead the assessment found a “clear risk” of violations.
The ultimate decision was made by Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds on the advice from Lammy, but the foreign secretary very much owned it by announcing the move in the House of Commons Monday.
The suspension will be kept under review while new licenses will be assessed on a case by case basis. Improvements in Israel’s conduct could see the suspensions lifted.
Labour, which came to office in July, has been trying to tread a careful line between its support for Israel and for the Palestinian people.
New Prime Minister Keir Starmer was leader of the opposition when Hamas unleashed its attack on Israel on October 7. He quickly came out wholeheartedly in support of Israel’s right to defend itself.
But this position and a perception that Labour under his watch had been too slow to call for a cease-fire as the civilian death count soared in Gaza angered many voters.
Though Labour won a sweeping victory on July 4, many Muslim voters who are particularly affected by the horror of the conflict chose instead to vote for more vocally pro-Palestinian independent candidates. The government will hope today’s action has an impact both at home as well as in the Middle East.
This story has been updated with further reporting.
