Britain’s role in sending weapons to Israel is being challenged in a High Court hearing scheduled for later this year.
Several human rights organisations claimed they were forced to act after Britain’s government ignored their calls to suspend arms exports to Israel. Lawyers have raised concerns that weapons sold to Israel “might be used to commit or facilitate a serious violation of international humanitarian law” in Gaza.
A High Court judge scheduled the judicial review for October, which would be about a year since the Israel-Hamas conflict erupted.
Over the last six months, Israel’s bombardment of the Gaza Strip has killed over 34,000 people, including 13,800 children, according to Palestinian health authorities. And 95 journalists and 196 aid workers – including UK nationals – have been killed, in a direct breach of international humanitarian law.
Israel’s assault on Gaza’s predominantly civilian population has continued around Rafah. Benjamin Netanyahu has claimed to have “set a date” for the Rafah ground offensive despite widespread warnings of mass civilian casualties.
A growing chorus of people want the UK Government to stop arming Israel, however, it has continued to support it.
Earlier this month, David Cameron confirmed that the UK will not suspend arms exports to Israel despite civilian casualty numbers going up.
The foreign secretary then wrote to the Conservative chairwoman of the Commons foreign affairs committee, justifying the UK’s position. However, the letter was said to have raised further questions about how the UK assesses arms sales amid potential breaches of international humanitarian law.
Here’s everything you need to know about UK arms sales to Israel.
Does the UK sell arms to Israel?
Yes, the UK still allows arms sales to Israel.
The letter delivered to the UK government in March, signed by 107 MPs and 27 peers, stated that “UK-made weapons are being used in Gaza,” including parts of lethal F-16 fighter jets.
“It was likely one of these jets – made with UK parts – that, in January, bombed British doctors at a compound in Gaza,” the letter said.
Companies that want to export military weapons must apply for a UK government licence.
Studies have found that since 2015, the UK licensed more than £489 million worth of military supplies to Israel. According to the House of Commons library, arms sales data from the UK to Israel after 7 October is unavailable.
Since 7 October there have been several debates in the House of Commons about UK arms export licences to Israel. In one transcript from December 2023, MPs confirmed that the UK’s defence exports to Israel in 2022 were worth £42m.
According to the Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT), approved export licences from the UK were for various equipment, including military radar components, electronic warfare equipment, combat aircraft and targeting equipment.
In a review of export licences to Israel from the UK in December 2023, business secretary Kemi Badenoch chose not to suspend existing licences or stop granting them.
Zarah Sultana, the Labour MP for Coventry South, recently said that other licences had “gone under the radar”. This suggested that the true extent of the UK’s involvement in military licences may be greater.
CAAT said: “Israel is using UK arms exports in a genocide against the Palestinian people. The UK Government is complicit in these crimes not just by supplying these weapons for decades, but by repeatedly inciting Israel to commit war crimes against Palestinian civilians with impunity, in retaliation for Hamas’ horrific killings and abductions of Israelis including civilians.”
Although the Occupied Palestinian Territories have no official army, many UK politicians have backed Israel’s right to defend itself against Palestinians in the past.
Last month, however, the UK joined a growing chorus of nations calling for an immediate end to the conflict as the scope of Gaza’s humanitarian crisis and imminent famine became clearer.
Despite this, arms and military supplies continue to flow into Israel.
Human Rights Watch said: “This current situation places the UK Government at risk of failing to prevent and being complicit in serious violations of international law.”
Which countries sell arms to Israel?
In February 2024, Canada became the latest country to ban arms sales to Israel. It joined the Netherlands, Japan, Spain and Belgium, which have all blocked weapons exports.
The United States is still reportedly the largest arms exporter, providing 69 per cent of imports of arms to Israel.
At the end of March 2024, the US government approved the sale of billions of dollars of bombs and fighter jets to Israel. This reportedly included 1,800 MK84 2,000-pound bombs that have been linked to mass casualty events.
The United Nations said another major exporter of arms to Israel since 7 October was Germany. Reports show it provided 30 per cent of arms to Israel.
