UK faces calls to suspend arms sales to Israel

LONDON

Amid escalating concerns over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, former officials and legal experts in the United Kingdom urged the government on Tuesday to halt arms sales to Israel during a Business and Trade Committee's session at Parliament.

Lord Ricketts, former UK national security adviser, emphasized the urgency of the situation, citing the "dreadful suffering in Gaza" and the looming threat of famine and disease.

He pointed to the UK Foreign Secretary's own acknowledgment of the dire conditions in the region, indicating that the evidence justifies a suspension of arms exports to Israel.

"I thought the time had come for the UK Government to suspend export licenses. I had actually taken my cue from our own foreign secretary and the increasingly false forceful rhetoric that we had heard from the foreign secretary in the weeks leading up to that, about the situation in Gaza," he said.

"Whatever the casualty figure and I think, probably we will never know how many people have died in Gaza. So it was on that basis, I thought there was ample evidence at this point for the government to conclude that a suspension of our own sales to Israel was justified," he added.

'Government not complying with what they need to comply with'

Echoing these sentiments, Lord Sumption, former Justice of the Supreme Court, expressed "confusion" over the government's decision to continue arms sales despite concerns about Israel's compliance with international law.

"They're not complying with what they need to comply with. Not supplying in the government, with the investigation, the details of the investigation of what happened in these instances in Gaza, which have been absolutely tragic," he said.

He highlighted the tragic loss of lives in Gaza and emphasized the need for the UK to uphold its obligations under international law.

The debate centers on allegations of complicity in grave breaches of international law if the UK continues to supply weapons to Israel.

The International Court of Justice's conclusion that there is a "plausible risk of genocide" in Gaza adds weight to calls for action.

Britain's High Court has granted a hearing later this year to address a legal challenge concerning the ongoing export of UK arms to Israel.

Advocacy groups have united in calling for a thorough examination of the UK government's decision to persist with the sale of military components and weapons to Israel, despite assertions that such actions may be unlawful due to their alleged involvement in war crimes.

According to Britain's strategic licensing criteria, weapons should not be exported if there is a discernible risk of their use in violations of international humanitarian law.

The UK government's Department for Business and Trade, responsible for authorizing these sales based on Foreign Office advice, is actively contesting the legal challenge.

During a court hearing on Tuesday, Judge Jonathan Swift set the case for a full hearing in October, pending the resolution of several preliminary legal matters in the intervening months.

Earlier in February, the court had dismissed a request to expedite the case, a move opposed by government legal representatives.