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The National
6 days ago
- Business
- The National
British Palestinians call out David Lammy over UK-Israel trade visit
On Monday, Lord Ian Austin – the UK Government's trade envoy to Israel – was pictured in Haifa in northern Israel, where he said the Government would continue to encourage "British businesses to export to Israel and Israeli businesses to invest in the UK". It comes despite the UK Government suspending negotiations with the Israeli government on a new free trade deal last week, as Lammy described Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government as "extremists". READ MORE: BBC admits error after presenting Reform UK spokesperson as member of public The National understands that Austin is set to be in Israel until Friday to "maintain" the UK Government's relationship with Israeli businesses. The visit was condemned by Independent MP and former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, former first minister Humza Yousaf, and the International Centre of Justice for Palestinians. Meanwhile, the British Palestinian Committee, an independent organisation of British Palestinians advocating for Palestinian rights, has now written to the Foreign Secretary arguing that the visit "appears to directly contradict" the UK Government's previous condemnation of Israel. Dr Sara Husseini, director of the British Palestinian Committee, said that the "limited steps" against Israel by the UK Government "are already being undermined". Penning the letter to Lammy on Tuesday, Husseini said the UK Government was "isolat[ing] itself on the international stage" in its continued support of Israel. The full letter to the Foreign Secretary said: "One week ago, you announced the suspension of free trade agreement negotiations with Israel in light of its ongoing military assault on Gaza. "Yesterday morning, the UK Trade Envoy to Israel, Lord Ian Austin, publicly stated on X that he was in Israel to 'promote trade with the UK' meeting with Israeli businesses and officials. The British Embassy in Tel Aviv further amplified this message by publishing a photo of Lord Austin at the Haifa Port. "This visit appears to directly contradict your Government's recent announcement and suggests that business continues as usual, despite almost 600 days of Israel's genocidal assault on Gaza. Foreign Secretary David Lammy (Image: PA) "The Palestinian death toll in Gaza has now reached at least 54,000 with entire families incinerated in their homes as Israel's daily bombardments continue. "Women, men and children remain trapped under rubble or in the streets, unreachable by emergency crews. During this past weekend, harrowing footage has circulated of children burned alive during an Israeli strike on a school housing displaced people, and a surgeon at work receiving the charred bodies of her nine children. "Israel continues to pursue its openly stated policy of forced displacement, now centred in Rafah, while systematically blocking supplies to force the starvation of the entire population of Gaza. The extent of this mass ethnic cleansing is on a scale not experienced by the Palestinian people since their original expulsion from their homes during the Nakba of 1947-48. "Last week's measures announced by your government are wholly inadequate in the face of this horrific reality. That even the limited measures announced last week are already being undermined is deeply troubling and entirely unacceptable." READ MORE: By-election hustings chaos as Tory candidate walks out over Labour no-show Husseini went on: "Rather than fulfilling its legal and moral duties to ensure the protection of an occupied people – Britain continues to provide diplomatic, economic, and military support to the occupying power. "As other states, international bodies, and civil society institutions take steps to halt Israeli atrocities, the UK Government continues to participate in these crimes and further isolate itself on the international stage." The British Palestinian Committee called on Lammy to: Immediately clarify the nature and mandate of Austin's visit to Israel and "take appropriate steps to ensure that the government is not reneging on its own policy". Drop the 2030 roadmap for UK-Israel bilateral relations, and "impose comprehensive economic and diplomatic sanctions in order to apply pressure on Israel to abide by its international obligations". Cease "all forms of military cooperation with Israel and impose a full two-way arms embargo, in line with the UK's obligations under international law, including the duty to prevent, punish, and ensure non-complicity in genocide". The UK Government has previously insisted that the visit was unrelated to the recently suspended new free trade deal and that Austin was not involved in trade negotiations. The Foreign Office has been contacted for comment.
Al Jazeera
28-01-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
UK military support to Israel ‘could be breach of international law'
The United Kingdom's military collaboration with Israel during its assault on Gaza, as well as its support through arms provisions, logistical aid, and direct military interventions in Yemen to support Israel's objectives, could constitute a breach of international law, a new report reveals. The report, released on Tuesday by the British Palestinian Committee (BPC), says while the UK government has not been directly perpetrating violence in Gaza, it has 'played an influential role' through the validation of arms licences and wider, deeper military collaboration with Israel. UK-made F-35 parts, sent directly to Israel and other partner countries for assembly, have played a significant role in maintaining the Israeli jets for combat by contributing to the global pool of spare parts, which Israel can access. In taking such actions, the UK is not 'simply failing to meet its third-party responsibilities to uphold international law', it is actively complicit in Israel's genocide of the Palestinian people, the report said. Additionally, while the British military has supplied Israel with these critical components, it has also developed a deeper military collaboration with Israel. 'This two-way partnership supports Israeli companies in the development of technology that is used to kill Palestinians and deepens collaboration between the British and Israeli militaries,' the report said, adding that the British military bases in Cyprus have served as a 'foundational asset' for Israel's genocide in Gaza. Alongside its direct military intervention in Yemen, the UK has protected Israel's military infrastructure during its escalation against Iran, the report said, focusing on the UK's military joining efforts to shield Israel's military infrastructure from an anticipated Iranian response in April 2024. This came after Israel bombed an Iranian consulate building in Syria's capital Damascus, killing at least 13 people, including two Syrian civilians. 'UK ministers and officials know that the UK has obligations under international law,' Sara Husseini, BPC director, told Al Jazeera. 'They have recognised that Israel's illegal occupation is ongoing and they have been made aware by the world's highest court that Israel's actions in Gaza plausibly amount to genocide. 'We are, therefore, calling on the government to immediately impose a two-way arms embargo, end all forms of military collaboration, and uphold the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people. If not, the British government should face appropriate legal consequences.' UK's official policy, outlined in its Strategic Export Licensing Criteria, says it will not grant an arms export licence 'if it determines there is a clear risk that the items might be used to commit or facilitate a serious violation of international humanitarian law', said the group. In April 2024, six months into the war on Gaza, then-Foreign Minister David Cameron said the UK would not halt arms sales to Israel by British companies. He defended his decision a month later by claiming that they represent 'less than 1 percent' of Israel's arms imports. In September 2024, the UK suspended 30 out of 350 arms export licences to Israel, citing a 'clear risk' that they could be used in serious breaches of international humanitarian law. Since then, the British government has issued 34 arms export licences to Israel, including three open licences which allow the export of an unlimited number and value of goods. In the 19-page report, the BPC concluded that the UK is legally obligated to take measures to prevent genocide and to prosecute individuals or entities responsible for committing such acts, both within its own jurisdiction and, where feasible, internationally. The group also stressed that the obligation of states to prevent genocide is a proactive rather than a passive action and entails the concept of 'due diligence', necessitating an assessment based on factual evidence. In 2022, the UK supplied 42 million pounds ($53m) worth of arms to Israel, according to media reports.
Middle East Eye
28-01-2025
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
New report lays out full extent of UK-Israel military partnership in Gaza
A new report from the British Palestinian Committee (BPC) has laid out the full extent of British military involvement in Israel's war on Gaza and called on the UK government to bring its collaboration with the Israeli military to an end. Released on Tuesday, the report notes that while the British government 'has not been directly perpetrating violence in Gaza, it has played an influential role, not only through the validation of arms licences, but also through wider and deeper military collaboration with Israel'. This collaboration includes the procurement of weapons from the Israeli military industry and the use of British military bases – particularly the Royal Air Force (RAF) base Akrotiri on the island of Cyprus - by the UK, US and Germany to supply Israel with 'weapons, personnel, and intelligence' since the war on Gaza began following the Hamas-led attacks of 7 October 2023. The UK has also participated in attacks on the Houthis in Yemen and has assisted in the protection of Israel's military infrastructure from Iranian attacks, following escalation from the Israelis. The report argues that the UK 'is not simply failing in its third-party responsibilities to uphold international law, but is actively complicit in genocidal acts perpetrated against the Palestinian people.' New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters An advocacy organisation based in London, BPC focuses its attention on the F-35 fighter jet, which has been used alongside drones, helicopters and other aircraft to bombard Gaza throughout Israel's war there. F-35 bombed displaced people On 13 July 2024, an Israeli F-35 dropped three 2,000-pound bombs on a camp for displaced people in Gaza's Al Mawasi, killing at least 90. 'This strike was made possible through British manufacturing and the supply of British-made spare parts that sustain Israel's F-35 fleet,' the report notes. 'This strike was made possible through British manufacturing and the supply of British-made spare parts that sustain Israel's F-35 fleet' - British Palestinian Committee report In September, the UK government stopped sending British-made F-35 components directly to Israel as part of a wider suspension of weapons that it found that Israel could use to violate international humanitarian law in Gaza. But the UK continued to export the fighter jet parts to a global pool that could end up in Israeli F-35s. The F-35 programme currently has no track-and-trace capability to allow for parts destined for specific countries to be halted without disrupting the global fleet. According to recent court documents, the UK would have to suspend all exports to the programme to divert components from going to Israel, a move that British officials have said would threaten global peace and security. At the same time, the government has acknowledged that there is a clear risk that Israel may commit war crimes using F-35s, with campaigners arguing that the government is failing to follow its own guidelines and obligations to international treaties by continuing to send the parts. The F-35 programme is led by the US and supported by the UK as the most senior international partner, responsible for producing 'significantly' more than 15 percent of every jet, according to the CEO of Lockheed Martin UK, the arms manufacturer that produces the plane. UK 'reviewing F-35 fighter jet and Israel arms licences', say campaigners Read More » In the UK, 79 different companies produce parts for the F-35 programme, including BAE Systems, which builds the rear fuselage of every jet, and Martin Baker, which produces the ejector seat. The F-35s used by the Israeli air force in its war on Gaza were manufactured before October 2023, but each plane needs a constant supply of spare parts. The BPC report notes that RAF Marham has been used to send spare F-35 parts directly to Israel at seven points since the war on Gaza began. Marham is the maintenance station for the RAF's F-35 fleet, operating under a public-private partnership with BAE Systems, which employs at least 130 maintenance workers at the base. Declassified reported that leaked cargo documents showed that Martin Baker, the British company that produces ejector seats for the F-35, received a shipment from Nevatim air base in Israel in September 2024. Cyprus bases Crucial to the UK-Israel military partnership are Akrotiri and Dhekelia, two bases situated on what is still British territory on the island of Cyprus, a former British colony. While the British government explored closing the bases in 1974, the US insisted that access to them was too important. 'These actions implicate [UK] institutions and officials in the gravest breaches of international law' - British Palestinian Committee report 'Although Akrotiri is used by US personnel and Dhekelia is a joint US-UK intelligence station, the British government has to authorise operations by allies in any of its Cyprus base areas,' the BPC report says. When he visited Akrotiri in December, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer was filmed telling troops: "The whole world and everyone back at home is relying on you." He added: "Quite a bit of what goes on here can't necessarily be talked about all of the time. We can't necessarily tell the world what you're doing." During Israel's war on Gaza, military cargo has been airlifted from Akrotiri to Israel. This cargo has often travelled to Cyprus from US military bases in other parts of Europe. RAF shadow aircraft have also been conducting nightly surveillance flights over Gaza, which the British government has acknowledged, claiming the flights are in support of 'hostage rescue'. The report concludes by saying that the British government is, 'in effect, engaged in military actions without being subject to parliamentary scrutiny, and that these actions implicate its institutions and officials in the gravest breaches of international law.'
