Christian Aid: Suspending 'some' arms sales to Israel not enough

Source: Christian Aid

British foreign secretary David Lammy announced today that the UK will suspend some arms sales to Israel. Mr Lammy said the decision follows a review of export licences for UK arms, which found there was a "clear risk" that they might be used to commit "a serious violation of international humanitarian law".

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".

Responding to the news, international development agency Christian Aid's Head of Middle East Policy, William Bell, said: "While this is progress, it does not go far enough. The only way to categorically ensure that arms sold to Israel are not used in violations of human rights is with a total ban. With the growing threat of this war escalating further, we need urgent steps to end the suffering and to build a world where Palestinians and Israelis are treated as equals."

The UK Government has granted 20 companies arms export licences to Israel since the Hamas attack on 7 October, with more companies awaiting their applications to progress since 31 May. The information was acquired through freedom of information by Christian Aid. The charity, which supports partners in Gaza to provide humanitarian aid, says it condemns companies that "make profit from this war."

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT), the department that issued the response, noted "a licence being granted does not mean that an export takes place...some licences may expire unused, and others may expire after only partial use." The items and financial value of licences are exempt from disclosure but are published in the quarterly arms export licences statistics.