It has been revealed that the UK continues to supply weapons to Israel despite suspending some arms export licenses. Last September, the UK suspended 30 out of 350 licenses for arms exports to Israel. The Foreign Office stated that these licenses were suspended due to the possibility of the weapons being used in violation of international humanitarian law. They also mentioned that the unsuspended licenses were for items such as goggles and helmets.
A report released jointly by the Palestinian Youth Movement, Progressive International, and Workers for a Free Palestine states that even after the license suspensions, the UK has supplied 8,630 various weapons to Israel, including bombs and missiles. Despite repeated statements by UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, and other ministers in Parliament that the UK had ended direct supply of F-35 fighter jet components to Israel after September 2023, the report highlights evidence of multiple instances of such components being directly supplied to Israel since then. The report also states that this arms supply continues uninterrupted.
The report further states that the three organizations obtained these findings from Israeli tax authorities, revealing that UK Foreign Secretary Cameron has misled both Parliament and the public.”
