UK government denies report of ‘secret arms embargo’ on Israel
UK government denies report of ‘secret arms embargo’ on Israel
Mon, 08/05/2024 – 13:02
The UK government has denied a report that it has implemented a “secret arms embargo” on Israel, saying there has been “no change” in its approach to export licences to its ally.
The Daily Mail reported late on Friday that civil servants had frozen all applications for new arms export licences to Israel, pending a review ordered by Foreign Secretary David Lammy.
But a spokeperson for the Department for Business and Trade told Middle East Eye on Monday that it continues “to review export licence applications on a case-by-case basis against the Strategic Export Licensing Criteria”.
“It is vital that we uphold both our domestic and international legal obligations when it comes to arms exports,” the spokesperson said.
“We are reviewing the advice regarding exports to Israel and no decision has been made.”
MEE understands that there have been no changes in licensing protocol since the new Labour government took power last month.
The previous government revealed in data released in May that no licences for the export of UK-made weapons or military equipment had been revoked or refused following the Hamas-led attacks on 7 October.
The data released in May also showed that more than 100 UK export licences for the sale of weapons, military equipment and other controlled items to Israel had been approved since the attacks.
