London (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Boris Johnson blamed Britain’s new Labour government for “abandoning” Israel after the U.K. discontinued the sale of some arms components employed by Israeli forces in Gaza.
Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson accused the new Labour government of “abandoning” Israel after the British government declared an immediate halt to the sale of 30 licences, including deals of parts for fighter jets, helicopters and drones, to Israel for usage by its forces in Gaza, with Foreign Secretary David Lammy stating the decision followed an assessment that found a real danger that the weapons could be used in violation of international humanitarian law
What Are the Concerns Behind the Halt of Arms Sales to Israel?
U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy reported that 30 licenses, including parts for fighter planes, helicopters and drones, would be put on delay immediately after a review concluded there is a real threat weapons could be used in breach of international humanitarian law.
Britain has just around 350 export licenses with Israel. The U.K. has emphasised that its move does not amount to an arms prohibition but said the number of civilian deaths and the scale of devastation in the current Gaza conflict has generated great concern. Since Labour’s landslide success in July, the UK government has moved its Middle East policy, restoring funding to the UN Palestinian Refugee Agency (UNRWA) and cringing its opposition to the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Why Does Boris Johnson Accuse the New Labour Government of Abandoning Israel?
“Hamas is still holding many innocent Jewish hostages while Israel tries to prevent a repeat of the 7th October massacre,” Johnson, the ex-prime minister, reported on X. “Why are Lammy and [Keir] Starmer abandoning Israel? Do they want Hamas to win?” Johnson has been a long-stationary supporter of Israel, calling any regard to end arms sales “insane” and “shameful” earlier this year.
How Has Israel Responded to the U.K.’s Suspension of Arms Licenses?
The move has been sharply denounced by Israel, however. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office gave a strongly-worded statement determining the move with Britain’s “heroic stand against the Nazis” in the Second World War and adding: “This shameful conclusion will not change Israel’s determination to overthrow Hamas, a genocidal terrorist alliance that savagely murdered 1200 people on October 7, including 14 British citizens.”