British Suspends Arms Exports to Israel
On Tuesday, August 6, the British newspaper The Jewish Chronicle reported that Britain had begun suspending licenses to export weapons to Israel. According to the report, in several cases, British officials rejected requests for weapons export licenses, citing a lack of capacity.
Despite these reports, a British government spokesman denied any policy change. “We continue to consider export licence requests on a case-by-case basis, based on the existing criteria. This is an important step in meeting our legal obligations domestically and internationally. No decision has been made on this matter,” he said.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy is expected to announce in the coming days the government’s official decision to stop issuing licenses for arms exports to Israel.
Earlier, reports emerged that one of the reasons for this potential move is Israel’s refusal to allow a Red Cross delegation to visit the terrorists detained in Sde Teiman.
Britain is increasingly critical of the Israeli military operation in the Gaza Strip and has also decided to withdraw its support for Jerusalem’s lawsuit against the Israeli government at the International Criminal Court. This action is seen as an attempt to pressure Israel to reach a deal with the terrorist group Hamas, involving the release of hostages.
Earlier, British media reported that the UK had advised its citizens to leave Lebanon as soon as possible.