US says it won’t speak to UK curbing of arms licenses, but will continue supporting IDF

Asked about the United Kingdom’s decision to suspend some arms licenses to Israel, White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby says “every nation can speak for themselves on how and to what degree that they support Israel.”

“We’re going to continue to do what we have to do to support Israel’s defensive capabilities. That support continues today,” Kirby says during a press briefing.

In announcing the UK’s decision, British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said London was concerned the weapons covered by the decision “might be used to commit or facilitate a serious violation of international humanitarian law.”

Kirby says the US has not seen Israel committing war crimes.

“We’ve reviewed individual reports… about compliance with international humanitarian law, and as we speak, there’s been no determination by the United States that they have violated international humanitarian law,” the White House spokesperson reiterates.