Will Britain’s new Labour government stop arms sales to Israel?
UK: As the US cleared the way for $20 billion in arms sales to Israel, pressure has grown on the United Kingdom to stop such arms sales, amid reports that some sales could be restricted in the coming months. Between October 7, when Israel’s war on Gaza began, and the end of May, Britain granted more than 100 export licences for the sale of arms and military equipment to Israel, according to official figures. The value of these deals has not yet been revealed. However, between 2008 and the end of 2023, Britain granted export licences to Israel for arms deals worth 576 million pounds ($740 million). The total value of arms deals awarded in 2023 is estimated at 18.2 billion pounds – less than the 200 million pounds awarded in 2017.
Pro-Palestine activists have called on the government to stop selling arms to Israel
as its war on Gaza has left nearly 40,000 people dead and thousands missing and presumed dead under the rubble of buildings. More than 92,000 people have been injured. Despite this, the previous Conservative government, which lost to Labour in July’s election, decided in May that there was no reason to suspend arms exports. It cited Britain’s arms export rules, which state that export licences should not be granted if there is a “clear risk” that they would “promote serious violations of international humanitarian law (IHL)”, and said there was no evidence of this. However, since the Labour Party came to power, its stance on the Gaza war has differed from its predecessor. In recent weeks, Israeli and British news outlets have reported that Britain is set to announce a partial halt on arms exports to Israel.
