(Suhaib Salem/Reuters) Smoke rises over Gaza City after a bombardment from air, land and sea by Israeli forces in January |
Sheera Frenkel in Jerusalem
Britain became the first country to halt arms exports to Israel in response to its Gaza offensive, rescinding five export licences for parts used on warships which were deployed in the conflict. |
An Israeli official said that Britain had reviewed 182 licenses before deciding to revoke the five in connection with the Saar 4.5 class corvette. The British Embassy in Tel Aviv confirmed the move but said that it did not constitute an embargo on Israel.
|
(Suhaib Salem/Reuters) Smoke rises over Gaza City after a bombardment from air, land and sea by Israeli forces in January |
Sheera Frenkel in Jerusalem
Britain became the first country to halt arms exports to Israel in response to its Gaza offensive, rescinding five export licences for parts used on warships which were deployed in the conflict. |
An Israeli official said that Britain had reviewed 182 licenses before deciding to revoke the five in connection with the Saar 4.5 class corvette. The British Embassy in Tel Aviv confirmed the move but said that it did not constitute an embargo on Israel.
"There are no security agreements between the UK and Israel," an embassy spokesman said. "UK policy remains to assess all export licences to Israel against the consolidated EU and national arms export licensing criteria.”
After the 23-day offensive six months ago, a number of MPs called on Gordon Brown to impose a complete arms embargo on Israel. A petition of more than 38,000 signatures calling for a ban was also posted on the Prime Minister’s website.
In a review published earlier this year, Amnesty International highlighted Britain’s role in supplying engines for the Hermes 450 drones, an aircraft widely used by the Israeli military in Gaza. A report by Human Rights Watch last week said that the weapons had killed dozens of civilians.
According to government figures, Britain has more than doubled its sale of weapons to Israel in recent years. In 2007, Britain sold £6 million of arms to Israel, while in 2008 it licensed £20 million in the first quarter alone.
An Israeli defence official said that Britain’s decision would not impair the navy’s operational abilities. But there was concern among defence officials that other countries might follow suit. One said: “We were surprised by this decision, but it appears to be a political gesture to appease… Five out of 182 is not significant. We are only concerned if this becomes a trend.”
A number of countries, including Australia and Spain, have discussed imposing an arms embargo on Israel. Officials said the country most likely to act next was Belgium, which sells Israel weapons used to disperse demonstrations.
More than 1,400 Palestinians and 13 Israelis were killed in the Gaza offensive.
irish times on line 13/7/09
