Despite Renewed Gaza Fighting, UK Allows British Companies to Continue Exporting to Israel

As reported by the Times of Israel, British companies are still being allowed to export arms and weapons components to Israel, despite the United Kingdom’s announcement last week that it was going to suspend export licenses in regard to the Jewish state if military hostilities would start up again between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. “We said we would suspend licenses if there was a significant resumption of hostilities,” a spokesperson for the British government stated. “We are closely monitoring the situation. Our assessment so far is that the resumption of hostilities has been limited.”

UK Business Secretary Vince Cable, a member of the minority Liberal-Democrat coalition party, said on August 13 that if  Israel-Hamas hostilities resumed after the 72-hour truce that was in effect at the time, London would cancel twelve arms export licenses to Israel, negatively affecting components for radar systems, combat aircraft and tanks, according to a statement from the Department for Business Innovation and Skills.

While the government of England has mostly been supportive of Israel in its public statements, Cable’s statement came in the aftermath of massive public protests in Britain against Israeli military action in Gaza, along with pressure from many government officials and activists to institute a total arms embargo on Israel  with or without the resumption of fighting. Britain has also experienced a rise in acts of anti-Semitism during Israel’s military campaign to quell Hamas terrorism, as well as demands that stores in England boycott the sale of Israeli products.

“It is a very weak position and it will be seen as a sign of political support for the Israeli government,” Andrew Smith, from Campaign Against Arms Trade, asserted regarding the UK’s continued permission of exports to the Jewish state by its country’s companies. A spokesperson for Cable’s Liberal Democrat party told the BBC that the faction wanted to see a complete national embargo on arms to Israel, but was forced to negotiate with the main governing Conservative party.

The latest developments occurred two weeks after Foreign Office Minister Sayeeda Warsi resigned from her post to protest British policy toward Israel. Warsi called Britain’s arms sales to Israel “morally indefensible.” The issue of export licenses has proved to be a major point of disagreement between Prime Minister David Cameron and Foreign Secretary Phillip Hammond, against Cable and Liberal Democrat head Nick Clegg, according to The Guardian.

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