UK Halts Nearly Triple Arms Export Licenses to Israel

Britain has significantly tightened its restrictions on arms exports to Israel, freezing or rejecting over 80 export licenses for items that could potentially be used by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Middle East Minister Stephen Doughty revealed that these new measures, implemented in September 2024, create a "double-lock mechanism" to prevent approvals, a substantial increase from the approximately 30 licenses initially halted. Doughty personally reviewed each license, stating the stricter policy now includes examining the legality of presence in territories and adherence to international humanitarian law.

Despite the expanded restrictions, shipments of parts for the F-35 fighter jet program have been largely exempted due to "national security considerations" and commitments to allies. Doughty defended this exception, arguing that halting F-35 parts would "critically damage" Europe's broader security framework. The new figures indicate an additional 50 export licenses have been frozen since the policy's inception.

However, the policy has drawn criticism. Emily Thornberry, Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, labeled the decision political rather than legal and suggested adopting a Dutch model to prevent components from being used in aircraft destined for Israel. The initial decision in September 2024, under then-Foreign Secretary David Lammy and the Labour government led by Keir Starmer, involved around 30 licenses out of approximately 350 total, with Lammy emphasizing it was not a full arms embargo.

Separately, Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband received a standing ovation at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool for his strong condemnation of alleged "war crimes" in Gaza and criticism of the Israeli government's policies. Miliband also defended London's ban on trade with West Bank settlements, acknowledging public pressure from millions in the UK, including a significant Muslim population, who are appalled by events in Gaza. He stated that under Prime Minister Andy Burnham, Britain is "resetting" its approach to Israel, denouncing "ethnic cleansing" by settlers, "war crimes" in Gaza, and the "illegal occupation" of Palestine, vowing to prevent the destruction of the two-state solution.