Will Popular and Parliamentary Pressure in Britain Succeed in Stopping Arms Exports to 'Israel'?

Since the beginning of the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip, Britain has witnessed internal political crises and a growing popular movement rejecting the war and demanding an end to the siege imposed on the Gaza Strip for 17 years.

As the death toll rises and the United Nations warns that an Israeli-made famine is imminent in the Gaza Strip, internal pressure is mounting on the British government to stop selling weapons to "Israel."

In a potential move that threatens to change the dynamics of relations between Britain and "Israel," the Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee in Parliament, Alicia Kearns, hinted at the possibility of suspending British arms sales to "Israel" during the coming period.

In a related context, a joint cross-party letter accused London of failing to act in response to the overwhelming evidence of Israeli violations of international law and fears of using British-made weapons to kill Palestinians in Gaza.

Britain has also recently witnessed protests demanding the closure of factories of the Israeli defense electronics company Elbit Systems in Bristol, as protesters accuse it of participating in the genocide in Gaza.

Furthermore, a growing number of human rights and relief organizations have called for the suspension of arms export licenses to "Israel," including Oxfam, Save the Children, Christian Aid, Amnesty International, and Islamic Relief.

It is noteworthy that UK's arms exports to "Israel" amounted to £42 million in 2022, a figure described by defense secretary Grant Shapps as relatively small.

British Collusion

The British government received advice from its lawyers that "Israel" violated international humanitarian law in Gaza but did not disclose it, according to a leaked recording by a British MP, as reported by the Guardian.

These comments, made by senior Tory MP Alicia Kearns at a Conservative Party fundraiser on March 13, contradict the British government's repeated denials and evasion of questions on the issue.

On the evening of March 30, Kearns, a former Foreign Office and Defense Ministry official, confirmed her comments, calling on the government to correct its position.

As she explained: "They did not disclose that, and they did not stop arms exports. They imposed some very small sanctions on Israeli settlers."

This revelation will place Foreign Secretary David Cameron and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak under intense pressure because any such legal advice would mean the UK had to cease all arms sales to "Israel" without delay.

On their part, legal experts said that the British government's abstention from this step would risk implicating the United Kingdom itself in violating international law.

The UK will be seen as aiding and abetting war crimes committed by a country to which it exports arms.

Shadow Foreign Secretary David Lammy called on the Conservative government to publish legal advice on whether there is a real risk that "Israel" could violate international law, which would lead to a suspension of arms exports to it.

Katie Fallon, the advocacy manager at Campaign Against the Arms Trade, claimed the government's response to an arms sales ban had ranged from stonewalling MPs, repeating meaningless answers.

"Most concerningly, going to great lengths to ensure that legal advice from the Foreign Office never definitively admits there is a clear risk Israel might use these arms exports in a serious violation of international humanitarian law," she added.

In a session of the foreign affairs select committee in January, Cameron was asked directly by Kearns whether you have never had a piece of paper put in front of you by a Foreign Office lawyer that says that "Israel" is in breach of its international humanitarian commitments under international humanitarian law.

Cameron stated, "I cannot recall every single bit of paper that has been put in front of me. I don't want to answer that question."

He later said, "If you are asking me whether I am worried that Israel has taken action that might be in breach of international law. Yes, of course I am worried about that. That is why I consult the Foreign Office lawyers when giving this advice on arms exports."

It is noteworthy that David Cameron had said last December 12 that he was convinced of the Israeli Occupation's compliance with international law and ordered not to suspend British arms export licenses to "Tel Aviv."

Complex Legal Ruling

In the same context, parliamentary pressure has recently increased on the UK government to ban arms sales to "Israel," amid indications that the latter intends to ignore the United Nations Security Council resolution issued last month, which calls on all parties to adhere to the ceasefire.

According to The Guardian, a letter addressed to Foreign Minister David Cameron, signed by 134 MPs and Lords, shed light on the measures taken by other countries, especially Canada, which announced last month that it would stop all arms exports to "Israel."

The letter, which was proposed by Labour MP Zarah Sultana, states that business as usual dealing with British arms exports to "Israel" is completely unacceptable.

She added that UK-made weapons are being used in Gaza, pointing to a recent UN investigation that concluded that an F-16 fighter jet made from British parts may have been responsible for the bombing of British doctors in Gaza.

The letter indicated that the British government had suspended arms exports to "Tel Aviv" in two previous escalations related to the war on Gaza, emphasizing that the current British government has not behaved well in the face of the violence and brutality committed by the Israeli army today.

The letter came after a surprise vote in the UN Security Council recently on a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire, a demand strongly rejected by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Secretary Cameron has also stepped up his criticism of "Israel" in recent weeks, but ministers say the decision on arms sales is a complex legal ruling that takes into account a range of factors.

Some of the Secretary of State's criticism implicitly suggested that "Israel" was not complying with its obligation, under international law, to provide food and water to Palestinian civilians.

British activists confirmed that the orders of the International Court of Justice are sufficient for the UK and other countries to stop selling weapons to "Tel Aviv."

Late last year, Labour MP John McDonnell proposed suspending arms exports to "Israel" and conducting a full review, similar to what happened during the 2009 and 2014 wars in Gaza.

At that time, Liberal Democrat MP Angus Brendan MacNeil also questioned the extent of transparency in the details of British military deals.

Liberal Democrat MP Richard Ford expressed his dissatisfaction with the failure of the parliamentary committee charged with scrutinizing arms export policy to meet in March 2023.

In an attempt to justify arms exports, MP Jim Shannon pointed to the economic benefits of arms deals, stating that arms sales to "Israel" should continue.

In the same context, Trade Minister Greg Hands emphasized the importance of following the government policy itself, stressing that British exports to "Israel" constitute a very small percentage of military imports to "Tel Aviv."

On March 28, activists with London for a Free Palestine occupied the lobby of the Department of Business and Trade, calling on the British government to stop arming "Israel." 

Cynthia Allett from London for a Free Palestine said: "This department arms genocide. Polling shows the British public wants a ceasefire, but instead of using its influence to bring an end to the violence, the British government is aiding and abetting the massacre of Palestinians.

"As Israel prepares a ground invasion in Rafah, we won't allow the weapons used to slaughter more Palestinian people to be supplied in our names and funded by our taxes," she added.

Outside, other activists held a 25-meter banner that read, "Stop Arming Israel."

Popular Campaigns

The Palestine Action campaign was able to achieve a notable achievement in closing an arms factory belonging to Elbit Systems, which is the largest privately owned Israeli arms company in Britain and owns 9 factories across the country.

This step comes as part of a strategy to confront the arms trade that supports the Israeli Occupation in Palestine.

In an interesting move, the campaign announced on March 28 that its efforts had led to the permanent closure of the Elite KL factory in Tamworth, Staffordshire.

This is the third Elbit Systems website in the UK that the campaign has caused to be permanently closed.

It is noteworthy that this company supplies the Israeli army with about 85% of the drones it uses in daily surveillance and regular attacks, in addition to ammunition and all aircraft components.

"Israel" routinely uses Elbit Systems weapons to commit war crimes against Palestinians, according to a report by the American Friends Service Committee, which works in the field of social justice, relief, and peace.

According to the UK-based Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT), since May 2015, there have been £472 million in limited value standard license grants and 58 unlimited value open licenses to "Israel," which includes a large percentage of the components of the F-35 fighter aircraft used by the Israeli army to bomb the Gaza Strip in recent months.

In turn, lawyer Bassam Tablieh confirmed in a statement to Al-Estiklal that "no country in the world can grant licenses to export weapons to another country if there is a clear danger that those weapons could be used in any violation of human rights."

"The British government is on the wrong side of history. Their failure to call an immediate ceasefire, and their refusal to end arms sales to Israel, will leave future generations looking back in horror," he added.

"If the British government continues to supply weapons and intelligence to Israel despite knowing that it is violating international humanitarian law, its position will be disastrous and it will be overthrown immediately," Mr. Tablieh concluded.