By Ben Kerrigan-
The United Kingdom is under mounting pressure to suspend arms sales to Israel amid accusations of breaches of international law following warnings from three Supreme Court judges.
Supreme Court’s former president Lady Hale as well as former justices Lord Sumption and Lord Wilson are among over 600 lawyers and academics who have signed a 17-page letter to warn the present situation in Gaza is “catastrophic”.
The airstrikes, which resulted in the deaths of several aid workers, have sparked outrage and condemnation from political leaders and humanitarian organizations alike.
The letter warns that – given the International Court of Justice’s opinion that there is a plausible risk of genocide – the UK government is legally obliged to act in preventing it.
The signatories said: “While we welcome the increasingly robust calls by your government for a cessation of fighting and the unobstructed entry to Gaza of humanitarian assistance, simultaneously to continue… the sale of weapons and weapons systems to Israel… falls significantly short of your government’s obligations under international law.”
Both the Liberal Democrats and the Scottish National Party (SNP) have called for a halt to arms exports to Israel, citing concerns about potential complicity in violations of international humanitarian law.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called the allegations of genocide “outrageous”, and said Israel has an “unwavering commitment to international law”
Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey asserted that suspending arms sales would send a powerful signal denouncing the actions deemed unacceptable by Israel.
Meanwhile, SNP leader Humza Yousaf warned against the UK’s potential complicity in the killing of innocent civilians if arms exports were to continue unabated.
Britain sells explosive devices, assault rifles and military aircraft to Israel but it is a relatively small supplier, with Israeli exports making up about 0.4% of Britain’s total global defense sales in 2022, the last full-year data was available.
The UK has approved millions of pounds’ worth of licences for military equipment to Israeli forces since 2015. They include components for F-35 fighter jets, which can deliver ground strikes and have been recently pictured in social media posts from the Israeli Air Force.
Despite this, the government has been urged to take decisive action in response to the recent airstrikes and alleged violations of international law.
In response to mounting pressure, Chancellor Rishi Sunak emphasized the UK’s commitment to a careful export licensing regime, emphasizing the importance of adherence to international humanitarian law.
Sunak stressed the need for Israel to defend itself in accordance with these laws and expressed condolences for the loss of civilian lives in the conflict.
Despite calls for action, Sunak has thus far resisted calls to suspend arms sales to Israel.
However, with public scrutiny intensifying and pressure mounting from opposition parties and humanitarian organizations, the government may face increasing pressure to reassess its stance on arms exports in the coming days.
The UK has previously suspended arms licenses to Israel on two occasions in past decades, demonstrating a willingness to take action in response to violations of international law.
Three Tory backbenchers and one former minister now in the Lords said that the UK should stop exporting arms to Israel after the airstrike, while the findings of a YouGov poll, conducted before the strike, suggested that the government and Labour are out of step with public sentiment, with a majority of voters – by 56% to 17% – in favour of an arms ban.
Over 32,000 Palestinians have been killed in the conflict, according to the health ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza. Israel’s military has voiced its “sincere sorrow” over the airstrikes and pledged an independent investigation.