Will the UK’s new Labour government halt arms sales to Israel?
Al Jazeera
Since 2008, the UK has licensed arms exports to Israel worth at least 576 million pounds ($740m).
As the United States clears the way for the sale of $20bn of weapons to Israel, pressure on the United Kingdom to cease such arms sales has stepped up amid reports that some sales could be restricted in the coming months.
Between October 7, when Israel’s war on Gaza began, and the end of May, the UK granted more than 100 export licences for the sale of weapons and military equipment to Israel, official figures show. The value of these deals has not been revealed.
However, between 2008 and the end of 2023, the UK granted export licences for arms deals to Israel worth 576 million pounds ($740m). The total value of arms deals granted in 2023 is estimated at 18.2 million pounds – still far short of the more than 200 million pounds granted in 2017.
Pro-Palestine activists have called on the government to cease the sales of arms to Israel as its war on Gaza has killed nearly 40,000 people with thousands more missing and presumed dead under the rubble of buildings. More than 92,000 people have been injured.
