Trade minister Douglas Alexander has reminded MPs that October 7 2023 saw Hamas commit an “act of barbarism” and not one of “liberation” as he set out to defend UK government policy over arms sales to Israel.
Responding to one-sided calls for the UK to stop all sales of arms to Israel in response to the deaths of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza, Alexander said “the responsibility of Hamas is clear.”
But the experienced minister then told the Commons that “as a result of Israel’s subsequent actions , the way in which Israel is conducting its operations is indefensible, disproportionate, and in the view of the UK government counter-productive to any lasting peace settlement.”
Alexander spoke on Monday night during an adjournment debate secured by the Scottish Labour MP Steve Witherden, who had quoted the words of a British doctor who described Gaza as “a slaughterhouse”.
Witherden’s own analysis of October 7 initially appeared to erase any responsibility for Hamas as he said:”Since October 7th, Israel has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians.”
He later said he had previously called out Hamas and accepted Israel had a right to defend itself.
Witherden, along with regular anti-Israel critics and MPs Richard Burgon and Kim Johnson pressed for answers over UK arms sales to Israel, and asked why the former Labour MP Ian Austin, now a crossbench peer, had been in Israel last week, despite the suspension of the free trade agreement negotiations.
Ian Austin (Photo credit: Simon Cooper/PA Wire via Jewish News)
Alexander said the UK and Israel had existing trade, and that Austin was told not to have contact with the Israel government on his visit to Haifa.
He also said Austin would also play no part in any free trade agreement negotiations.
Clarifying existing sales of arms to Israel, Alexander said:”I would like to reiterate that based on our current assessment of breaches of international humanitarian law we are not licensing military equipment provided directly to the IDF that could be used for military operations in Gaza.”
But he added it was correct that UK licenses to Israel “cover a wider remit than simply those items that may be used in Gaza.”
The Labour minister added there were a small number of licenses of parts for “air defense systems that defend Israel from acts such as the major aerial attack from Iran in April 2024.”
He also clarified that the UK is not selling F35 fighter jet components directly to Israel, and that “the license was amended in September to specifically make clear that direct shipments to Israel for use in Israel are not permitted.”
Instead the UK is continuing to support the global component pool for the F35 programmes “which we judge as a government that there is a material risk to the security of NATO allies and more broadly to European security.”
Regarding the publication of recent figures on military licenses to Israel, Alexander said that of 352 some 191 related to non-military items for civilian use, or items not used in Gaza military operations.
F-35I Adir accompanied by a Negev Squadron F-16I Sufa (Wikipedia/Israeli Air Force/Major Ofer, Israeli Air Force רס”ן עופר, חיל האוויר הישראלי)
A further 161 licenses are related to military equipment, but most are then re-exported to third countries. In fact, said Alexander of around £142 million worth of military goods licensed for Israel, the vast majority was for productions of items for use outside Israel.
“Around 85% of the total license value for components to support exports of military items from Israeli companies (go) to a single programme for a NATO ally,” the minister said.
