Britain will immediately suspend 30 of its 350 arms export licenses to Israel because there is a risk the equipment could be used to commit serious violations of international humanitarian law, Foreign Secretary David Lammy has announced.

The head of British diplomacy emphasized at the same time that London still supports Israel’s right to self-defense, as defined by international law.

After Labor’s victory in July’s general election, Lammy said that he would review Britain’s arms sales to its ally Israel to ensure they were in line with international law.

The minister emphasized that the suspension of arms exports he announced does not mean that Britain is proceeding with a general ban on sales or an embargo to Israel.

Lamy said that the suspension covers equipment currently used in the war in the Gaza Strip, such as spare parts for fighter jets, helicopters, and drones. He also noted that London’s decision will not have any substantial impact on Israel’s security.

The suspensions represent one-tenth of the 350 existing licenses and do not include components for the F-35 Joint Fighter Strike program, unless the UK-supplied component is specific to an aircraft used exclusively by Israel.

With information from: Guardian, AMNA 

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