The UK’s army collaboration with Israel throughout its assault on Gaza, in addition to its assist by arms provisions, logistical support, and direct army interventions in Yemen to assist Israel’s goals, may represent a breach of international law, a brand new report reveals.
The report, launched on Tuesday by the British Palestinian Committee (BPC), says whereas the UK authorities has not been immediately perpetrating violence in Gaza, it has “performed an influential function” by the validation of arms licences and wider, deeper army collaboration with Israel.
UK-made F-35 parts, despatched on to Israel and different companion international locations for meeting, have performed a big function in sustaining the Israeli jets for fight by contributing to the worldwide pool of spare components, which Israel can entry.
In taking such actions, the UK just isn’t “merely failing to fulfill its third-party tasks to uphold worldwide legislation”, it’s actively complicit in Israel’s genocide of the Palestinian folks, the report stated.
Moreover, whereas the British army has equipped Israel with these essential elements, it has additionally developed a deeper military collaboration with Israel.
“This two-way partnership helps Israeli firms within the growth of expertise that’s used to kill Palestinians and deepens collaboration between the British and Israeli militaries,” the report stated, including that the British army bases in Cyprus have served as a “foundational asset” for Israel’s genocide in Gaza.
Alongside its direct army intervention in Yemen, the UK has protected Israel’s army infrastructure throughout its escalation in opposition to Iran, the report stated, specializing in the UK’s army becoming a member of efforts to protect Israel’s army infrastructure from an anticipated Iranian response in April 2024.
This got here after Israel bombed an Iranian consulate constructing in Syria’s capital Damascus, killing a minimum of 13 folks, together with two Syrian civilians.
“UK ministers and officers know that the UK has obligations below worldwide legislation,” Sara Husseini, BPC director, advised Al Jazeera.
“They’ve recognised that Israel’s unlawful occupation is ongoing and so they have been made conscious by the world’s highest courtroom that Israel’s actions in Gaza plausibly quantity to genocide.
“We’re, due to this fact, calling on the federal government to right away impose a two-way arms embargo, finish all types of army collaboration, and uphold the inalienable rights of the Palestinian folks. If not, the British authorities ought to face applicable authorized penalties.”
UK’s official coverage, outlined in its Strategic Export Licensing Standards, says it is not going to grant an arms export licence “if it determines there’s a clear danger that the objects is perhaps used to commit or facilitate a critical violation of worldwide humanitarian legislation”, stated the group.
In April 2024, six months into the battle on Gaza, then-International Minister David Cameron stated the UK would not halt arms sales to Israel by British firms. He defended his determination a month later by claiming that they symbolize “lower than 1 %” of Israel’s arms imports.
In September 2024, the UK suspended 30 out of 350 arms export licences to Israel, citing a “clear danger” that they might be utilized in critical breaches of worldwide humanitarian legislation.
Since then, the British authorities has issued 34 arms export licences to Israel, together with three open licences which permit the export of a limiteless quantity and worth of products.
Within the 19-page report, the BPC concluded that the UK is legally obligated to take measures to forestall genocide and to prosecute people or entities liable for committing such acts, each inside its personal jurisdiction and, the place possible, internationally.
The group additionally pressured that the duty of states to forestall genocide is a proactive moderately than a passive motion and entails the idea of “due diligence”, necessitating an evaluation based mostly on factual proof.
In 2022, the UK equipped 42 million kilos ($53m) value of arms to Israel, in keeping with media experiences.
