JERUSALEM – Israeli leaders and British Jews have condemned the UK’s decision to suspend 30 arms export licenses to Israel, announced on Monday, over concerns about alleged violations of international humanitarian law by Israel during its ongoing conflict with Hamas in Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu labeled the move “shameful” on X, asserting that it wouldn’t deter Israel from its objective of defeating Hamas, a group he characterized as a “genocidal terrorist organization” responsible for the deaths of 1,200 people on October 7, including 14 British citizens.
Netanyahu also pointed out that Hamas is holding several British citizens hostage and expressed disappointment that “instead of standing with Israel, a fellow democracy defending itself against barbarism, Britain’s misguided decision will only embolden Hamas.”
“Israel is pursuing a just war with just means, taking unprecedented measures to keep civilians out of harm’s way and comporting fully with international law,” he wrote.
Britain’s Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis, also on X, expressed his view that the announcement “feeds the falsehood that Israel is in breach of International Humanitarian Law, when in fact it is going to extraordinary lengths to uphold it,” and that it “will serve to encourage our shared enemies.”
Originating from a government known for its significant military spending, the move has sparked concerns that other nations, including the US, might follow suit. Some argue that the decision appears symbolic, even hypocritical, given that the British government, with total defense orders reaching nearly $16 billion (12 billion pounds) in 2022, hasn’t taken similar action against countries with more severe human rights violations.
The Middle East, including nations like Egypt, Turkey, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia, which is engaged in combat against Iranian-backed rebels in Yemen, are among the UK’s top arms recipients.
“Firstly, it’s hypocritical and its simply inconsistent,” Major (Ret.) Andrew Fox, a Research Fellow at the Henry Jackson Society, told Digital. “But more, it’s dangerous, because Hamas is so evil, Hamas is so psychotic, and we’re sending a message of weakness.”
The UK’s arms sales to Israel are comparatively small compared to those of the US and other countries, such as Germany. The withdrawal of only 30 export licenses out of 350 for equipment like parts for military planes, helicopters, and drones is unlikely to significantly impact Israel’s ability to wage war in Gaza.
Fox believes the decision is purely “performative,” a response by the newly elected government to pressure from left-leaning factions within its support base, who have staged regular anti-Israel protests across the country.
“Israel is a very small recipient of British arms, buying just one percent of its arsenal from the U.K.” Jake Wallace Simons, editor of Britain’s Jewish Chronicle, told Digital.
“Countries like Qatar, which sponsors Hamas, Saudi Arabia, which has been fighting a brutal campaign in Yemen, Turkey, which has been massacring the Kurds, and the corrupt Egyptian police state all buy many more British weapons than the Middle East’s sole democracy, Israel,” he said, adding, “with no evidence that has been breaking international law, this move seems intended to win points with Muslim voters and is harming international alliances at the same time.”
Amnesty International, along with the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, have published comprehensive reports documenting human rights violations by countries that are major purchasers of UK arms.
The UK’s recent decision represents a divergence from the Biden administration’s stance on the Israel-Hamas war, which commenced on October 7 when over 3,000 Hamas-led terrorists infiltrated Israel from Gaza, launching attacks on military bases, residential areas, towns, and a large music festival in the region.
A British army veteran, Fox emphasized that this new approach will weaken the UK’s influence on the course of the war in Gaza and place it in a challenging position with its close allies.
“We will now have no influence in Jerusalem at all,” he stated. “I think this is embarrassing for the U.K. on a national stage and our other allies will see this behavior and think there’s a risk that domestic pressure might affect the U.K. It will also encourage those people who are actively trying to subvert us domestically, like Iran and Russia, because they’ve seen that it works.”
Requests for comment from British Foreign Secretary David Lammy’s special advisor remained unanswered.