UK: Since 2015, London has authorised the sale of weapons to Israel for over 487 million pounds ($614 million) under so-called single-issue licences. Foreign Secretary David Cameron stated on Tuesday that the British government has determined it can continue supplying Israel with weaponry, defying calls to halt exports due to allegations of humanitarian breaches in Gaza.
“On Israel and international humanitarian law, and as required by the UK’s robust arms export control regime, I have now reviewed the most recent advice about the situation in Gaza and Israel’s conduct of their military campaign,” Cameron stated during a trip to Washington.
“The latest assessment leaves our position on export licences unchanged,” he stated.
“Let me be clear, though, we continue to have grave concerns around the humanitarian access issue in Gaza,” he said.
Seven relief workers with World Central Kitchen were killed last week in an Israeli strike that the military called an accident, including three Britons and one dual citizen of the US and Canada.
More than 600 British attorneys, including former justices of the Supreme Court, warned in a recent letter that Britain ran the risk of breaking international law if it continued to provide arms to Israel.
According to Britain’s strategic licencing standards, weapons that pose a “clear risk” of being used in violations of international humanitarian law are forbidden to be transferred.
Arms control organisations claim that since 2015, London has authorised approximately 487 million pounds ($614 million) in weapon sales to Israel using “single-issue licences,” while businesses export more through open licences.
In a case before the International Court of Justice, Germany—another significant supplier of weaponry to Israel—is accused by Nicaragua of violating the 1948 United Nations Genocide Convention, which was established in the wake of the Holocaust.
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