David Cameron Declared UK Won’t Follow US in Halting Arms Sales to Israel

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cedit: reuters

London (Parliament News) – David Cameron announced the UK’s refusal to follow the US in halting arms sales to Israel, citing differences in scale and stating support for civilian protection in Rafah.

David Cameron has expressed the UK will not be following the US in withholding arms sales to Israel, stating the positions are not comparable since the UK is not a large state-to-state arms supplier to Israel.

What is the UK’s position on the truce proposal between Hamas and Israel?

The foreign secretary added that the UK did not sustain a large-scale invasion of Rafah unless it saw a plan that shields civilians, a position the UK has repeated for the past month. Foreign Office officials stated they had no view as to whether Hamas or Israel were closer to the UK position of a two-stage truce, starting with a humanitarian ceasefire and leading to a permanent cessation. They indicated that Israel claimed the offer taken by Hamas on Sunday differed from the one that Israel had been prepared to accept the week before.

Taking queries at the end of a lengthy speech setting out his foreign policy vision after six months on the job, Cameron stated: “There’s a very fundamental difference between the US situation and the UK situation.

“The US is a massive state supplier of weapons to Israel. We do not have a UK government supply of weapons to Israel, we have a number of licences, and I think our defence exports to Israel are responsible for significantly less than 1% of their total. That is a big difference.

What conditions does the UK require to support a major operation in Rafah?

“On Rafah, we are clear that we would not support some major operation in Rafah unless there was a very clear plan for how to protect people and save lives, and all the rest of it.

“We have not seen that plan, so in the circumstances we will not support a major operation in Rafah.

“We have very clear licensing procedures, some of the toughest and most rigorous in the world. We follow them through very closely and that’s what we’re doing, and will continue to do, in the period ahead.”

What criteria would constitute a breach of international humanitarian law in Rafah?

The US president, Joe Biden, overnight hardened the US standing by saying it would not be supplying arms for use in population centres. UK officials were unwilling to explain what Israel would have to do in Rafah to be deemed to have crossed a red line, but it appears a ground attack would be seen as a breach of international humanitarian law.

Cameron stated he remained focused on improving the flow of humanitarian assistance into Gaza and said the position was enhancing with the opening of the Rafah crossing on Thursday and the delivery of aid.

Cameron’s assertion that UK arms sales are not the same as those from the US to Israel could be challenged on the grounds that the scale or supplier of the arms is immaterial, and the problem is whether the arms are being used in a way that could conflict with UK legal criteria about a risk of a serious breach of international humanitarian law.

Foreign Office officials stated the next formal assessment of UK arms sales and the chance the arms may be used to commit a serious violation was imminent. The formal assessments are driven on a six-week cycle, and the last assessment was completed at the end of March.

Daniele Naddei

Daniele Naddei is a journalist at Parliament News covering European affairs, was born in Naples on April 8, 1991. He also serves as the Director of the CentroSud24 newspaper. During the period from 2010 to 2013, Naddei completed an internship at the esteemed local radio station Radio Club 91. Subsequently, he became the author of a weekly magazine published by the Italian Volleyball Federation of Campania (FIPAV Campania), which led to his registration in the professional order of Journalists of Campania in early 2014, listed under publicists. From 2013 to 2018, he worked as a freelance photojournalist and cameraman for external services for Rai and various local entities, including TeleCapri, CapriEvent, and TLA. Additionally, between 2014 and 2017, Naddei collaborated full-time with various newspapers in Campania, both in print and online. During this period, he also resumed his role as Editor-in-Chief at Radio Club 91.
Naddei is actively involved as a press officer for several companies and is responsible for editing cultural and social events in the city through his association with the Medea Fattoria Sociale. This experience continued until 2021. Throughout these years, he hosted or collaborated on football sports programs for various local broadcasters, including TLA, TvLuna, TeleCapri, Radio Stonata, Radio Amore, and Radio Antenna Uno.
From 2016 to 2018, Naddei was employed as an editor at newspapers of national interest within the Il24.it circuit, including Internazionale24, Salute24, and OggiScuola. Since 2019, Naddei has been one of the creators of the Rabona television program "Calcio è Passione," which has been broadcast on TeleCapri Sport since 2023.