UK petition urges halt to arms sales to Israel amid Gaza genocide
A petition calling on the UK government to halt arms exports to Israel was handed in at 10 Downing Street, 16 April 2024
The Palestine Chronicle reports on 16 April 2024:
A petition urging the UK government to cease arms exports to Israel has been submitted to the British Prime Minister by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign and a bipartisan group of members of parliament.
Nearly 70,000 individuals have endorsed the petition, coinciding with remarks made by Alicia Kearns, Chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, who said: “The Foreign Office has received official legal advice that Israel has broken international humanitarian law, but the government has not announced it.”
According to the government’s arms export guidelines, it “will not grant a license if it determines there is a clear risk that the items might be used to commit or facilitate a serious violation of international humanitarian law.”
During a session in the Commons, Member of Parliament Zarah Sultana questioned Prime Minister Rishi Sunak regarding the veracity of Kearns’ statement. “Was the Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee telling the truth – yes or no?” Sultana asked. Sunak declined to directly address, stating only that Israel is capable of complying with international humanitarian law.
Over 1,000 legal professionals, academics, and retired judges, including former President of the Supreme Court Baroness Hale, have signed an open letter asserting that the continued provision of arms to Israel places the UK in violation of international law.
Additionally, a bipartisan group of 135 parliamentarians previously urged the foreign and business secretaries to suspend arms export licenses to Israel.