Under pressure, the Department of Business and Trade has revealed that Rishi Sunak’s government approved 42 military export licenses to Israel from 7 October 2023 to 31 May 2024. Of these, five are open licenses. This means they greenlight unlimited exports of specified items under just one license.
Reacting to the figures, former shadow chancellor John McDonnell said the:
UK now has no defence from charges of complicity in the IDF war crimes.
The information release does include the value of the arms. It also does not specify exactly what they are.
The department described another 66 licenses issued after 7 October as “non-military”, such as:
telecommunications equipment, chemical manufacturing equipment, and imaging cameras.
The military equipment the UK has licensed, meanwhile, includes:
components for helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft, training small arms ammunition, submarine components and components for body armour.
Israel is using F-35 aircraft to bombard Gaza, which British companies provide 15% of the parts for.
As of 31 May, a total of 345 licenses to Israel were live including those issued before 7 October.
Selling arms to Israel during a genocide
Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT)’s Emily Apple said:
The Conservative government and the UK arms trade are complicit in the horrendous war crimes that Israel is committing against Palestinian people in Gaza.
Despite overwhelming evidence of the atrocities Israel is perpetrating, this data release shows that the government has not refused or revoked a single licence
CAAT estimates that UK arms exports to Israel total at least £1bn since 2015 – double what the government says it is. That’s because of the government using unlimited open licenses.
Under domestic and international law, the UK must stop issuing arms licenses if there’s even a risk the recipient will use them to commit war crimes.
Yet it was in January when the International Court of Justice ruled that its “plausible” Israel is committing genocide in Palestine. Since 7 October, Israel has killed at least 37,702 Palestinian people including over 15,000 children.
And on 20 May, International Criminal Court (ICC) chief prosecutor Karim Khan announced he is seeking arrest warrants for Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and defence minister Yoav Gallant.
The documented war crimes include murder and collective punishment of Palestinian people. That’s through using starvation as a weapon and intentionally targeting the civilian population.
Still, Labour Party leader Keir Starmer joins Conservative Party leader Rishi Sunak in refusing to end arms sales to Israel. Both party leaders are not only complicit in war crimes, they are also out of step with the UK public.
56% of people believe the government should end arms and spare part sales to Israel, compared to 17% who don’t.
Let’s send both parties a message at the ballot box.
Featured image via Rishi Sunak – YouTube
