The UK MPS, including Jeremy Corbyn, demanded a halt to UK arms sales to Israel in the protest [Getty/file photo]
A group of UK MPs urged Britain to stop selling arms to Israel in a demonstration outside parliament in London on Monday, as Israel’s deadly war on the Gaza Strip continues to rage.
MPs, including the Labour Party’s Diane Abbott and Independents Jeremy Corbyn and Apsana Begum, held a banner which read “Stop Arming Israel” during the protest.
The demonstration was held along with the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, one of the UK and Europe’s most prominent pro-Palestinian advocacy groups after over 100,000 signatories signed a petition calling for a complete arms embargo on Israel.
Petitions require at least 100,000 signatories before going ahead with a debate in parliament.
The demonstration specifically called for a halt in the sales of F-35 combat aircraft parts, which constitute among the UK’s most prominent arms sales to Israel.
F-35 parts were exempt from the UK’s decision to suspend 30 arms export licenses to Israel in September, drawing backlash from pro-Palestinian activists.
Activists also voiced concerns that the move was not enough, as only 30 out of 350 arms export licenses were suspended, leaving Israel with considerable amounts of weapons to use during its military onslaught in the Gaza Strip.
The move came following an assessment concluding that there was “a clear risk” of certain military exports to Israel violating international humanitarian law.
Despite this, the UK’s foreign secretary David Lammy insisted on supporting Israel’s right to defend itself during the war ongoing since October 7 last year, which has killed 45,059 Palestinians, including women, children and the elderly.
The UK reportedly manufactures around 15 percent of F-35 components used by Israel, according to UK arms trade monitoring group Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT).
London, however, does not directly sell these aircraft parts directly to Israel, but does so via the US, Israel’s longtime weapons supplier and staunch ally.
Israel has also procured F-35 fighter jets from Washington over the years.
F-35 components have been used in Israel’s war in Gaza to carry out multiple massacres against Palestinians. according to Danish news outlet Information and NGO Danwatch, In July this year, at least 90 people were killed in a so-called safe zone in the al-Mawasi area near Rafah.
The Israeli army describes the jets as “one of a kind”, with “stealth technology allowing our pilots to carry out top-secret missions without tipping off the enemy”.
F-35 fighter jets have also been used in Israeli strikes on Yemen in 2023 and 2024, amid its conflict with the Houthi rebels in parallel with its war in Gaza. They were also reportedly used to kill Hamas leader and head of its military wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, Mohammed Deif.
The UK has come under fire over the years from pro-Palestinian activists and politicians for its military support for Israel, as well as its continued diplomatic relations amid the Gaza war.
The UK has sold combat aircraft, missiles, tanks, technology, small arms and ammunition to Tel Aviv, valued at millions of pounds every year.
The UK also has several sites for the Israeli arms company Elbit Systems, which has been subject to numerous protests and calls for their closure, amid Israel’s violence against Palestinians in Gaza, east Jerusalem and the West Bank.
