Pro-Palestine activists have been calling for an arms embargo on Israel over it’s military conduct in Gaza [Kristian Buus/In Pictures via Getty Images]
The UK granted licenses to Israel worth £11 million between July and September 2024 during Labour’s first three months in office, according to Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT).
CAAT said Wednesday that between July and September, the government approved export licenses amounting to £10.9 million, an increase from the previous six months of £3.1 million worth of licenses, according to government data.
This includes a £7.2 million license awarded for submarine technology related to “marketing and promotional purposes, including demonstration to potential customers, temporary exhibitions”, according to a government footnote carried by CAAT.
Additionally, CAAT said that the government approved an open license for combat aircraft components which allows companies to export unlimited amounts of equipment on said license.
Pro-Palestinian activists in the UK have called on the government to halt the export of arms to Israel, over the devastating impact of the war on Gaza, which has killed at least 61,000 people.
Although no information is available on which licences were suspended at the time, the group said the open license for combat aircraft “appears completely incompatible with its supposed commitment not to supply military equipment that could be used in Gaza”.
CAAT media coordinator, Emily Apply, accused the government of “directly supporting its genocide against Palestinian people and supporting Israel’s domestic arms industry”.
“These figures show that this government is deeply complicit in genocide and human rights abuses. Labour promised change – but it is business as usual for arms dealers.
“If our government refuses to act, it is down to all of us to take action against this vile trade and ensure that both politicians and the arms companies are held accountable and face the consequences of their actions,” she added.
A government spokesperson for the Department of Business and Trade – which reviews and grants the licenses – told The New Arab that “in September we suspended certain export licenses to Israel where there was a clear risk that the items might be used to commit or facilitate serious violations of international humanitarian law”.
“The licences remaining – body armour for journalists, parts for commercial or trainer aircraft etc. – relate to non-military items, or military items not for use by Israel in Gaza.”
In September, UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy announced 30 arms export licenses had been suspended over the risk that UK-made equipment was being used to commit serious violations in Gaza.
However, components for the F-35 were exempted from the suspension over fears it would undermine the global supply chain of the aircraft. The exemption has been a key point of focus for rights organisations and arms monitors in efforts to impose an arms embargo on Israel.
Israel’s war on Gaza, which has been ongoing since October 2023, has killed over 61,000 people and caused widespread destruction in the enclave.
Its military conduct has landed it in the International Court of Justice on grounds of breaking the genocide convention, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant being issued arrest warrants by the International Criminal Court.
In addition to licences to Israel, a total of £2.9 billion in arms exports were licenced in the period of July to September, the largest of which was to Saudi Arabia at £1.65 billion.
“This included £800m in air-to-surface missiles, £741 million in components for bombs, and £100m in surface-to-air missiles,” according to CAAT.
The arms trade monitor also noted that licences were given to other states with poor human rights including Egypt, Turkey, and Bahrain, while the US was the third biggest recipient of UK arms worth £253 million.
In a press release issued on 27 February, the government said that during the period covered a total of £65.2 billion worth of licences were issued globally, £62.3 billion of which CAAT defines as dual use which can be used for civilian or military purposes.
