UK's Arms Suspension to Israel Sparks Diplomatic Row and Domestic Backlash

Tuesday 03 September 2024 - 14:30

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has denounced the UK government's decision to suspend some arms export licences to Israel, labeling it a "shameful" move that will embolden Hamas, the militant group responsible for the recent massacre of over 1,200 people, including 14 British citizens.

In his first public response since UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy announced the suspension, Netanyahu took to social media to voice his disapproval. "This shameful decision will not change Israel’s determination to defeat Hamas, a genocidal terrorist organization that savagely murdered 1200 people on October 7, including 14 British citizens," he wrote.

Netanyahu emphasized that Hamas is holding over 100 hostages, including five British citizens, and criticized the UK for not standing with Israel in its fight against terrorism. "Instead of standing with Israel, a fellow democracy defending itself against barbarism, Britain’s misguided decision will only embolden Hamas," he asserted.

The UK government has been careful to explain that the suspension is not a full embargo and does not compromise Israel's security. However, Netanyahu's remarks indicate a deepening diplomatic rift between the two nations.

Netanyahu is also facing unprecedented domestic pressure, with critics alleging that his intransigence over ceasefire talks indirectly led to the deaths of six Israeli hostages at the hands of Hamas.

The Labour government's decision has sparked a growing backlash from all sides. Former Conservative Prime Minister Boris Johnson accused Labour of abandoning Israel, questioning if they wanted Hamas to win the war in Gaza. The Board of Deputies of British Jews criticized the decision as sending the wrong message at the wrong time.

Phil Rosenberg, the president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, described the government's decision as sending a "terrible message" in Israel's "hour of need." Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, he said, "On the day that those beautiful people were being buried, kidnapped from a music festival like Reading or Glastonbury, the UK decides to send a signal that it’s Israel that it wants to penalise, and that is a terrible, terrible message to be sending both to Israel in its hour of need, also to Hamas about the consequences – where consequences are for the horrific actions that Hamas has taken as a terrorist organisation, but also to other allies and adversaries around the world."

Defence Secretary John Healey defended the decision, stating that the government remained resolute in Israel's right to self-defence and that the suspension "will not have a material impact on Israel’s security."

Inside the Labour party, the pro-Israeli campaign group Labour Friends of Israel expressed concern that the restrictions could encourage Israel's enemies and lead to greater escalation rather than de-escalation.

Lord Ricketts, a former national security adviser, suggested that the government's decision was driven by the imminent prospect of judicial review, which could undermine the UK's arms exports control system.

Conservative leadership candidate Robert Jenrick described the move as "shameful gesture politics to appease the hard left," while MP Zarah Sultana, currently with the whip suspended, criticized the decision for not going far enough, arguing that the UK should ban all arms sales to Israel.

Amnesty International UK's chief executive, Sacha Deshmukh, condemned the exemption of the F-35 fighter jet programme from the suspension, calling it a "catastrophically bad decision for the future of arms control."

The Campaign Against Arms Trade highlighted that the decision came just as it had become possible to confirm the F-35s' involvement in an identifiable attack in Gaza, which killed 90 people and injured at least 300.

The government's brief assessment cited the treatment of Palestinian prisoners and the inadequate supply of humanitarian aid as the two clearest breaches of international humanitarian law, leading ministers to believe there was a clear risk that British arms would be used to commit a serious breach.

The diplomatic and political fallout from the UK's decision continues to unfold, with both Israel and the UK navigating a complex landscape of international relations and domestic pressures.