Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, has urged the government to halt all sales of weapons to Israel, calling for accountability in light of the ongoing conflict. Khan raised concerns about the
effectiveness of the UK's influence on the Israeli government and emphasized the urgent need to prevent further loss of innocent lives.
Pressure mounted on the Prime Minister as the Liberal Democrats, Scottish National Party (SNP), and a former UK national security adviser joined Khan in calling for an immediate suspension of arms exports to Israel. Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey emphasized the need for swift action to address the situation.
Officials in the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) expressed concerns about potential liabilities if Israel were found to have violated international law, further underscoring the gravity of the situation.
Khan highlighted a recent incident involving a targeted Israeli strike on an aid convoy operated by the food charity World Central Kitchen, resulting in the tragic deaths of individuals from various nationalities. He criticized the government's failure to publish legal advice on arms sales to Israel, calling for a suspension of such sales as a means of holding the Israeli government accountable.
Former national security advisor Lord Ricketts echoed Khan's sentiments, advocating for the UK to halt arms sales to Israel to send a strong message and stimulate similar debates internationally.
A letter addressed to Prime Minister Sunak, signed by hundreds of legal experts including former supreme court justices, accused the UK of breaching international law by continuing to arm Israel. In response, Sunak assured that arms licenses were subject to careful review according to established regulations and procedures.
While the UK does not directly supply weapons to Israel, it grants export licenses to British companies for arms sales to the country. Foreign Office minister Andrew Mitchell noted that UK exports constituted only a small fraction of Israel's military imports. Photo by Israel Defense Forces, Wikimedia commons.