The UK’s partial arms ban on Israel is not enough
F-35 fighter jet
Nick Dearden writes in Al Jazeera on 3 September 2024:
On Monday, the British government halted 30 licences that would have allowed British companies to supply military parts to Israel. Those include components for fighter aircraft, helicopters, drones and items that facilitate ground targeting. Foreign Secretary David Lammy explained to parliament that a government assessment showed there was a clear danger these items could be used by Israel to commit serious violations of international humanitarian law.
Anyone who has switched on the news over the past 11 months could have told him as much. Gaza has become a human rights-free zone where history’s first livestreamed genocide is taking place.
This year, lawyers working for the government issued legal advice on whether Israel was breaking international law. A Tory MP, who had seen the document, said she believed that Israel was indeed committing such acts.
The details of this legal advice remain a closely guarded secret despite a promise by the Labour Party, while in opposition, to publish it. We can assume, however, that the analysis made for stark reading as it seems to have finally pushed the Labour government to take action, however inadequate. It will no doubt hope that by taking action on the most egregious arms sales, it will free itself of liability.
And yet, the Labour government has been desperate to avoid any perception that it is punishing Israel. Monday’s announcement was taken with “deep regret”, and the foreign secretary was at pains to make clear “this is not an arms embargo” in a speech in which he described himself as a “liberal, progressive Zionist”.
The measures are the bare minimum we should expect. While 30 licences will be halted, 320 are still in force