There is pressure on both sides of the Atlantic to stop selling arms to the Israelis. Photo: MENACHEM KAHANA/AFP
An arms embargo on Israel will “jeopardize international confidence” in the UK as an export partner, a former attorney general has warned.
Those calling on the UK to stop selling arms to Israel , are «virtue signaling» according to MP Sir Michael Ellis, who argues that an arms embargo would be «the wrong move — strategically, economically and morally».
Writing in The Telegraph, he says the UK's reputation as a reliable arms exporter, which generates billions of pounds for the British economy, «cannot be risked for the sake of perceived political points.»
His remarks came after three former Supreme Court judges and more than 600 lawyers and academics signed a letter warning that the UK government is breaking international law by continuing to arm Israel.
But Sir Michael claims the Embargo on UK arms supplies would have “far-reaching unintended consequences”, such as undermining our “stated goal of securing Israeli-Palestinian peace and countering Iranian belligerence.”
He adds that such a ban would «bring our value projections on the world stage into disrepute.»
The UK is supplying many more weapons to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt and many other «undemocratic countries», he says, arguing : “How can we justify continued sales to Qatar, which is effectively harboring Hamas leaders, while refusing to supply weapons to Israel fighting terrorists?”
Lord Cameron, the Foreign Secretary, is not yet convinced that the legal threshold for suspending arms exports due to Israeli actions in the Gaza Strip has been reached, according to government sources. Lord Cameron in The Observer said: » The situation in the Gaza Strip is dire and the prospect of famine is real. We remain committed to providing help to those who so desperately need it.»
Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that it would be “madness”; ban arms sales to Israel Photo: CHRISTOPHER FURLONG/GETTY
The UK has a legal mechanism that requires a ban on arms exports if it is determined that the country does not demonstrate adherence to international humanitarian law.
< p>On Saturday, more than three dozen Democrats in Congress, including key Biden ally Nancy Pelosi, wrote a letter to the US President calling on him to stop arms supplies to Israel.
«In light of the recent strike against aid workers and the ever-worsening humanitarian crisis, we believe it is inappropriate to approve these arms transfers,» the letter, signed by 40 lawmakers, said.
It said any ongoing and future arms transfers should be suspended until the US conducts its own investigation into Monday's Israeli airstrike that killed seven aid workers at World Central Kitchen, one of whom was a dual US-Canadian citizen.
Earlier this week, Boris Johnson said it would be «madness» to ban arms sales to Israel.
Mr Johnson, a former foreign secretary and prime minister, wrote in the Daily Mail. : “If you want an example of the desire for the death of Western civilization, I will give you the current proposal by members of the British establishment that this country should ban the sale of weapons to Israel.”
He said that this move would be tantamount to “government madness” «, given the Hamas attack on Israel, which sparked the conflict in Gaza.
'Government madness'
Two Cabinet ministers made similar arguments in a show of support for the head of government backing Rishi Sunak's current stance.
Marking the six-month anniversary of the October 7 massacre, Mr Sunak said it was «the most horrific attack in Israeli history, the greatest loss of Jewish life since World War II.
“We continue to defend Israel's right to defeat the threat posed by Hamas terrorists and protect its security.”
He added: “This terrible conflict must end. The hostages must be released. The aid we are straining to deliver by land, air and sea must be sent in a flood.»
The Foreign Office will release up to £9.7 million in funding on Sunday a package of military and civilian support to establish a maritime relief corridor into Gaza, including the deployment of a Royal Navy ship.
The ship, along with new UK aid and British expertise, will contribute to the creation of an international humanitarian sea corridor from Cyprus to Gaza and is expected to enter service in early May.
Israeli President's Statement
Israel is still fighting «a bloody and difficult war,» President Isaac Herzog said in a statement as the conflict reached its half-year mark on Sunday.
“Today (Sunday) at 6:29 a.m. (0329 GMT) we mark six months since the brutal attack and horrific massacre,” Herzog said on Saturday, referring to the Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7 that began war. .
''Six months have passed since this crime against our sisters and brothers, against our state, this crime against humanity. “Six months of bloody and difficult war,” said the president, whose role is largely ceremonial.
Mr. Herzog's statement came after the army announced it had returned the body of Elad Katzir, a hostage it said was killed in captivity in Gaza in January.
They also came as tens of thousands Israelis protested right-wing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's handling of the war.
The Hamas attack on October 7 left 1,170 people dead in southern Israel, mostly civilians. according to Israeli data.
Of the 250 hostages taken by Palestinian militants, the army says 129 remain in the Gaza Strip, including 34 presumed dead.
Israel's retaliatory offensive against Hamas in Gaza has killed at least 33,137 people, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-controlled territory's health ministry.
Ban on arms sales to Israel while we continue to supply Qatar , would be the worst kind of virtue signaling.
The clamor for an arms embargo on Israel has intensified following the tragic killing of aid workers in Gaza, writes Sir Michael Ellis.
But while Israel must avoid such incidents, the world's only Jewish state certainly holds itself to the sky-high standards regularly exploited by its terrorist enemies.
Israel is a democratic brother and, encouragingly, has responded with an immediate admission of responsibility. a sincere expression of remorse and the dismissal of those who, as a result of a thorough investigation, were found to have acted incorrectly.
Unfortunately, during war such tragedies happen, it is unfortunate. Many comments seem to ignore the fact that other allies have often been involved in incidents in which civilians have been killed in recent years. Surprisingly, these incidents were not followed by concerted calls for an arms embargo. We should be suspicious of the motivation when different rules apply to Israel.
So let's take a step back from the virtue signaling noise. What would a British arms embargo on Israel actually mean?
In this case, a British arms embargo would have far-reaching unintended consequences. Not for Israel, but for us. This will not «stop» Israel, as campaigners claim, since our weapons are, in terms of trade, worth pennies to Israel.
However, such a ban would bring our presentation of values into disrepute on the world stage. The UK supplies many more weapons to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt and many other undemocratic countries. The UK is sending a staggering amount of weapons to Qatar. How can we justify continued sales to Qatar, which is essentially harboring Hamas leaders, while refusing to supply weapons to Israel, which is fighting terrorists?
This move will destroy our stated goal of ensuring peace between Israel and Palestine and countering Iranian belligerence. Indeed, it would allow Hamas to remain in Gaza and thereby condemn Palestinians and Israelis to future violence. Meanwhile, Iran and its terrorist proxies are watching us closely—a fact we cannot afford to forget.
The decision to target Israel will also jeopardize the international community's trust in our reliability as an arms export partner. The UK's defense industry makes a huge contribution to our economic prosperity and the livelihoods of thousands of workers across the country — and this cannot be risked for the sake of supposed political points.
The UK benefits enormously from Israel's military technology, which has protected the lives of thousands of British soldier. For example, the Sky Saber missile defense system, based on Israel's revolutionary Iron Dome system, now helps defend the Falkland Islands.
An arms embargo would be the wrong move — strategically, economically and morally. .
Sir Michael Ellis MP is a former Attorney General
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