UK to continue arms sales to Israel after review

The United Kingdom has decided to continue its arms exports to Israel, after reviewing the latest three months of the Israeli military’s presence in the besieged Gaza Strip.

In a report published on Saturday, The Guardian said the latest reviews examined Israel’s bombardment of Gaza until 24 April, including the killing of three British aid workers belonged to the World Central Kitchen (WCK), which is responsible for distributing food aid among the Palestinian people in the besieged enclave.

The reviews, made by British ministers that found no reason to suspend weapons exports to Israel, were sent to Foreign Secretary David Cameron and then forwarded to Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch, who signs off on the final decision.

“As required by the UK’s robust arms export control regime, the foreign secretary has now reviewed the most recent advice about the situation in Gaza and Israel’s conduct of their military campaign,” a British Foreign Office statement said.

“The business secretary has therefore decided our position on export licenses remains unchanged. This is consistent with the advice ministers have received. As ever, we will keep the position under review,” it added.

UK says 'not wise' to ban arms sales to Israel as invasion of Rafah looms

David Cameron says it is “not a wise path” for the UK government to suspend arms sales to Israel even as the regime is planning a large-scale assault on Rafah.

The statement went on to say that the UK operates a “robust and thorough assessment of arms export license applications” and would not grant a license if there is a “clear risk” that the arms might be used to violate international law. 

Meanwhile, UK ministers called for a transparent inquiry into an Israeli attack on a “safe zone” displacement camp in the southern city of Rafah, where over 40 people were killed.

The UK has previously said Israel’s major ground offensive on Rafah would be a potential breach of international law.

However, the latest review does not cover the recent outbreak of violence in the city.

A previous review was also released on April 9 and covered Israeli military’s conduct until the end of January.

London is facing a domestic pressure since an Israeli attack on the World Central Kitchen convoy killed three British nationals last month in Gaza.

Government officials have repeatedly emphasized in recent months that UK defense exports to Israel were very small.

In 2023, Defense Secretary Grant Shapps said such exports were "just £42m ($53m) last year."

Cambridge becomes first city council in UK to call for end to arms sales to Israel

The Cambridge City Council has become the first council in the UK to call for a ceasefire in Gaza and an end to the current arms sales to Israel.

Anti-arms campaigners have said that the true figure could be much higher, because the items sold under opaque open licenses keep the value of arms and their quantities secret.

They also point to how critical UK-made components may be to Israel's war effort.

Israel unleashed its war on Gaza on October 7 laste year after the Palestinian resistance group Hamas carried out Operation Al-Aqsa Storm against the usurping entity in retaliation for its intensified atrocities against the Palestinian people.

Since the start of the offensive, the Tel Aviv regime has killed more than 36,376 Palestinians and injured over 82,407 others.

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