More than 600 British jurists, including three retired judges from the U.K. Supreme Court, have called on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to suspend arms sales to Israel following the deaths of three U.K. aid workers in an Israeli strike. The lawyers and judges believe that the U.K. could be complicit in grave breaches of international law if it continues to ship weapons to Israel, citing the International Court of Justice’s conclusion that there is a plausible risk of genocide in Gaza. Britain’s longstanding alliance with Israel has been tested by the mounting death toll, largely civilian, from the war in Gaza.
The main opposition parties in the U.K. have called for the Conservative government to halt weapons sales to Israel if the country has indeed broken international law in Gaza. Calls for an end to arms exports have intensified after an Israeli airstrike killed seven aid workers from the charity World Central Kitchen, three of whom were British. Despite this pressure, Sunak has not committed to an arms export ban, but has emphasized the importance of Israel defending itself in accordance with international humanitarian law. British defense firms sell a relatively small amount of weapons and components to Israel, and in 2022, military exports amounted to 42 million pounds ($53 million).
The U.K. is not the only country facing calls to halt weapons sales to Israel. Countries like Canada and Spain have also taken steps to cease future shipments to Israel, while a Dutch court has ordered a stop to the export of F-35 fighter jet parts. Germany, one of Israel’s closest allies in Europe, continues to allow weapons sales although Chancellor Olaf Scholz has expressed increasing unease about the rising death toll in Gaza. Despite these actions, the United States and Germany, Israel’s biggest arms suppliers, continue to allow weapons sales.
Former U.K. national security advisor Peter Ricketts believes that a suspension of U.K. arms sales would not change the course of the war in Gaza but would be a powerful political message. He believes that such a move might stimulate debate in the United States, which would be a real game-changer. The pressure on governments to halt weapons exports to Israel is mounting as the death toll in Gaza continues to rise, with more than 32,000 Palestinians killed according to health authorities in the region. The conflict has prompted calls for a ceasefire and increased scrutiny on the role of countries supplying weapons to Israel.
The killing of aid workers in Gaza has added to the pressure on governments to reassess their arms sales to Israel. The U.K. and other allies of Israel are facing calls to cut off the supply of weapons and to support diplomatic actions against Israel. Despite significant pressure from jurists, politicians, and international bodies, many countries continue to allow weapons sales to Israel. The conflict in Gaza has sparked global debate about the ethics of arms sales to countries engaged in conflict, and the actions of governments around the world are being closely watched as calls for peace in the region grow louder.
