Independent readers divided over Keir Starmer’s decision to suspend some arm sales to Israel
3 months, 4 weeks ago

Independent readers divided over Keir Starmer’s decision to suspend some arm sales to Israel

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Last week, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer suspended around 30 of the UK’s 350 arms export licenses to Israel, sparking strong reactions. Foreign Secretary David Lammy emphasised that while the UK continues to support Israel, the decision was made due to the “clear risk” of UK-supplied weapons being used to breach international humanitarian law, particularly regarding the treatment of Palestinian detainees and aid access to Gaza. However, some viewed the arms suspension as a mere “token gesture” with no significant impact on Israel’s military capabilities. The decision continues to fuel debate, with figures like Lord Carlile praising Starmer’s “courage” but criticizing Netanyahu for hindering peace efforts.

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History of this topic

UK to continue selling arms to Israel despite Lebanon ceasefire, Starmer says
1 month, 1 week ago

UK to continue selling arms to Israel despite Lebanon ceasefire, Starmer says

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. He told MPs: “We must seize this opportunity to build trust, de-escalate tensions and push …

Starmer calls on world to unite against ‘malign’ Iran and vows never to ban all arms sales to Israel
3 months ago

Starmer calls on world to unite against ‘malign’ Iran and vows never to ban all arms sales to Israel

The Independent  

Sir Keir Starmer used the first anniversary of Hamas’s barbaric terrorist attack on Israel to urge the international community to turn its focus on the “malign” regime in Iran. “It exposes, once again, Iran’s malign role in the region: they helped equip Hamas for the seventh of October attacks, they armed Hezbollah, who launched a year-long barrage of rockets on …

Starmer: Wrong to consider total ban on UK arms sales to Israel
3 months ago

Starmer: Wrong to consider total ban on UK arms sales to Israel

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The Prime Minister said a …

Starmer right to block arms sales to Israel, says Jewish peer
4 months ago

Starmer right to block arms sales to Israel, says Jewish peer

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. open image in gallery Lord Carlile has supported Starmer’s action He has claimed that former …

Is the UK right to suspend arms sales to Israel? Join The Independent Debate
4 months ago

Is the UK right to suspend arms sales to Israel? Join The Independent Debate

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Last week, Prime …

‘Legal decision, not a policy decision’ to suspend Israel arms exports – Starmer
4 months ago

‘Legal decision, not a policy decision’ to suspend Israel arms exports – Starmer

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Sir Keir Starmer has claimed Britain’s allies “understand” its move …

UK suspends some licenses for arms exports to Israel
4 months ago

UK suspends some licenses for arms exports to Israel

China Daily  

Britain's Foreign Secretary David Lammy leaves after a meeting with his Israeli and French counterparts in Jerusalem on Aug 16. Lammy said the review, commissioned immediately after the Labour Party's landslide election victory in July, found a "clear risk" the arms might be used to commit "a serious violation of international humanitarian law". Lammy noted that the review conducted by …

What really lies behind the decision to restrict arms sales to Israel
4 months ago

What really lies behind the decision to restrict arms sales to Israel

The Independent  

To judge by the indignation from Israel and its friends here, David Lammy’s revocation of nearly 10 per cent of British export licenses for the few weapons it sells to the IDF and Israeli security services was a bombshell. Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu decried the UK’s decision, coming only days after Hamas executed six hostages, as “shameful”. Savaging the …

Boris Johnson says Starmer ‘wants Hamas to win’ in Israel war
4 months ago

Boris Johnson says Starmer ‘wants Hamas to win’ in Israel war

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The former prime minister questioned Sir Keir and foreign secretary …

UK support for Israel ‘unshakeable’ says Healey amid backlash over arms decision
4 months ago

UK support for Israel ‘unshakeable’ says Healey amid backlash over arms decision

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Israel’s defence minister Yoav Gallant …

U.K. Suspends Some Arms Exports To Israel Over Risk Of Breaking International Law
4 months, 1 week ago

U.K. Suspends Some Arms Exports To Israel Over Risk Of Breaking International Law

Huff Post  

A man takes cover behind a column as an explosion propagates smoke and dust during an Israeli strike which reportedly targeted a school in the Zeitoun district on the outskirts of Gaza City, on Sept. 1, 2024. OMAR AL-QATTAA via Getty Images LONDON — U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government said Monday that it’s suspending exports of some weapons to …

UK to suspend 30 export licences for arms to Israel, Lammy announces
4 months, 1 week ago

UK to suspend 30 export licences for arms to Israel, Lammy announces

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Britain is suspending …

UK to suspend some arms export licences to Israel, says Foreign Secretary
4 months, 1 week ago

UK to suspend some arms export licences to Israel, says Foreign Secretary

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The UK Government is suspending around 30 arms export licences …

UK to suspend around 30 export licences to Israel, says David Lammy
4 months, 1 week ago

UK to suspend around 30 export licences to Israel, says David Lammy

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The UK Government is suspending around 30 arms export licences …

Britain says it is suspending some arms exports to Israel over risk of breaking international law
4 months, 1 week ago

Britain says it is suspending some arms exports to Israel over risk of breaking international law

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The British government said Monday …

Sir Keir Starmer's top legal adviser intervenes in tense row over the UK continuing to sell arms to Israel
4 months, 2 weeks ago

Sir Keir Starmer's top legal adviser intervenes in tense row over the UK continuing to sell arms to Israel

Daily Mail  

Keir Starmer's top legal adviser has reportedly intervened in the row over the UK continuing to sell arms to Israel. Attorney General Richard Hermer KC is said to have told Foreign Office officials he will not approve a decision to ban some weapons sales but allow others until they are certain which could be used to break international humanitarian law, …

Uncertainty over Israel’s compliance with international law ‘a challenge for UK’
7 months, 3 weeks ago

Uncertainty over Israel’s compliance with international law ‘a challenge for UK’

The Telegraph  

Uncertainty over Israel’s compliance with international law poses a “challenge” for the UK, the Middle East minister has said, as Britain comes under increasing pressure to ban arms exports to the country. Lord Ahmad, who has ministerial responsibility for the region, said Israel was leaving “many of its partners”, including the UK, “pretty challenged on where we are currently on …

Defiant David Cameron defends UK arms sales to Israel hours after Joe Biden threatens to withhold weapons
8 months ago

Defiant David Cameron defends UK arms sales to Israel hours after Joe Biden threatens to withhold weapons

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} A defiant Lord …

Labour questions continued arms exports to Israel with Rafah humanitarian crisis
8 months ago

Labour questions continued arms exports to Israel with Rafah humanitarian crisis

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. But an intense session in the Commons saw anger on both sides with the left …

A legal challenge over the UK’s role in arms sales to Israel will go ahead
8 months, 2 weeks ago

A legal challenge over the UK’s role in arms sales to Israel will go ahead

Associated Press  

LONDON — A legal challenge over the British government’s role in allowing weapons to be sent to Israel can be heard at the High Court later this year, a judge said Tuesday. Palestinian human rights organization Al-Haq and the U.K.-based Global Legal Action Network filed the challenge in December, calling for the U.K. to stop granting licenses for arms exports …

UK will not block arms sales to Israel, says Foreign Minister David Cameron
9 months ago

UK will not block arms sales to Israel, says Foreign Minister David Cameron

Al Jazeera  

British government is coming under growing pressure to halt weapons supplies to Israel as it continues its war on Gaza. The United Kingdom will not halt arms sales to Israel by British companies after reviewing the latest legal advice on the matter, Foreign Minister David Cameron has said. Six months into the Israeli assault on Gaza, triggered by the October …

Senior U.K. jurists join calls to stop arms sales to Israel
9 months ago

Senior U.K. jurists join calls to stop arms sales to Israel

The Hindu  

More than 600 British jurists, including three retired judges from the U.K. Supreme Court, are calling on the government to suspend arms sales to Israel, piling pressure on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak after the deaths of three U.K. aid workers in an Israeli strike. In an open letter to Mr. Sunak published late Wednesday, the lawyers and judges said the …

Senior UK jurists have joined calls to stop arms sales to Israel. Other allies face similar pressure
9 months ago

Senior UK jurists have joined calls to stop arms sales to Israel. Other allies face similar pressure

Associated Press  

LONDON — More than 600 British jurists, including three retired judges from the U.K. Supreme Court, are calling on the government to suspend arms sales to Israel, piling pressure on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak after the deaths of three U.K. aid workers in an Israeli strike. Signatories, including former Supreme Court President Brenda Hale, said Britain is legally obliged to …

What are arms sales to Israel worth – and could they be stopped?
9 months ago

What are arms sales to Israel worth – and could they be stopped?

The Independent  

If Britain were to suspend arms sales to Israel, it would be joining Canada, the Netherlands, Japan, Spain and Belgium, who have already done so with broad overall public support. Peter Ricketts, a former senior diplomat who chaired the Joint Intelligence Committee during the Blair government, is of the view that Washington may now reconsider its military links with Israel, …

UK’s Rishi Sunak faces growing pressure to stop arms sales to Israel
9 months ago

UK’s Rishi Sunak faces growing pressure to stop arms sales to Israel

Al Jazeera  

Political pressure on British PM to halt arms exports to Israel grows after seven aid workers from World Central Kitchen were killed in an air attack on Gaza. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is facing growing political pressure to stop selling weapons to Israel after seven aid workers, including three British nationals, were killed by an Israeli air attack on …

Why a majority of Britons want the U.K. to halt arms exports to Israel
9 months ago

Why a majority of Britons want the U.K. to halt arms exports to Israel

NPR  

Why a majority of Britons want the U.K. to halt arms exports to Israel Enlarge this image toggle caption Hugh Hastings/Getty Images Hugh Hastings/Getty Images LONDON and BRIGHTON, England — With more than 33,000 Palestinians killed so far in Israel's military operation in Gaza, according to Gaza's health ministry, the deaths of three British aid workers there this week may …

The killing of aid workers adds to pressure on the UK government to halt arms sales to Israel
9 months ago

The killing of aid workers adds to pressure on the UK government to halt arms sales to Israel

Associated Press  

LONDON — Britain’s main opposition parties demanded Wednesday that the Conservative government publish legal advice it has received on whether Israel has broken international humanitarian law during the war in Gaza. David Lammy, foreign affairs spokesman for the main opposition Labour Party, said “there are very serious accusations that Israel has breached international law.” He urged the government to “publish …

Rights groups file legal challenge with UK court, urging a halt on British arms exports to Israel
1 year, 1 month ago

Rights groups file legal challenge with UK court, urging a halt on British arms exports to Israel

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Legal and human rights groups …

Advocates see ‘opportunity’ in US review of Saudi arms sales
3 years, 9 months ago

Advocates see ‘opportunity’ in US review of Saudi arms sales

Al Jazeera  

Arms control advocates outside the US hope Joe Biden’s Yemen policy shift will spur their gov’ts to take similar action. “And if anything, they’ve taken a somewhat harsh tone in reaction to the Biden initiative.” Billions in weapons sales The British government has stressed it has a separate relationship with Riyadh from the US – both longstanding allies of the …

UK to resume arms sales to Saudi Arabia despite ‘possible’ war crimes in Yemen, government says
4 years, 6 months ago

UK to resume arms sales to Saudi Arabia despite ‘possible’ war crimes in Yemen, government says

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Ms Truss said that while some “credible incidents of concern” related to Saudi forces’ conduct …

Liz Truss: Tory minister admits approving illegal arms sales to Saudi Arabia again and says 'more cases could come to light'
5 years, 3 months ago

Liz Truss: Tory minister admits approving illegal arms sales to Saudi Arabia again and says 'more cases could come to light'

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The government has again admitted breaching a court order banning arms …

UK arms sale to Saudis unlawful, court rules
5 years, 6 months ago

UK arms sale to Saudis unlawful, court rules

India TV News  

The United Kingdoms sale of arms to Saudi Arabia for use in Yemen is unlawful, a British court ruled on Thursday. It concluded that it was "irrational and therefore unlawful" for the Secretary of State for International Trade to have granted licences without making any assessment about international humanitarian law violations, Efe news reported. Presenting the verdict, Master of the …

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