UK chief rabbi slams government’s decision to suspend arms licenses to Israel
Ephraim Mirvis warns move feeds into ‘falsehoods’ of genocide in Gaza, will encourage Israel’s enemies
The UK’s Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis denounced the decision by the British government on Monday to suspend 30 out of some 350 arms export licenses to Israel.
In a statement on X on Monday night, Mirvis said that it “beggars belief” that such a decision was made “at a time when Israel is fighting a war for its very survival on seven fronts forced upon it on the 7th October, and at the very moment when six hostages murdered in cold blood by cruel terrorists were being buried by their families.”
He accused the decision of feeding into “the falsehood that Israel is in breach of International Humanitarian Law, when in fact it is going to extraordinary lengths to uphold it.”
He also warned that the decision would “serve to encourage” Israel’s and the world’s shared enemies and would do nothing to “secure the release of the remaining 101 hostages, nor contribute to the peaceful future we wish and pray for, for all people in the region and beyond.”
“Britain and Israel have so much to gain by standing together against our common enemies for the sake of a safer world. Surely that must be the way forward,” Mirvis added.
Britain said Monday that it would immediately suspend dozens of arms export licenses due to the risk that the equipment could be used to commit serious violations of international humanitarian law.
It beggars belief that the British government, a close strategic ally of Israel, has announced a partial suspension of arms licences, at a time when Israel is fighting a war for its very survival on seven fronts forced upon it on the 7th October, and at the very moment when six…
— Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis (@chiefrabbi) September 2, 2024
Unlike the United States, Britain’s government does not give arms directly to Israel but rather issues licenses for companies to sell weapons, with input from lawyers on whether they comply with international law.
The export licenses pertain to components for Israel’s aerial systems, including fighter jets, helicopters, and drones. It does not pertain to the F-35 program, which is a multinational project that pools parts before disbursing them to participating countries, including Israel.
The suspension could be lifted in the future if the UK assesses that the risk of violations has diminished.
Britain’s center-left Labour government has repeatedly called for a ceasefire in the Gaza war, and for the speeding up of aid deliveries into Gaza, since taking power on July 5.
The war broke out on October 7 with Hamas’s attack on Israel, in which terrorists killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 251 hostages.
In the 11 months since, Israel has been waging war in Gaza against the terrorist organization with the proclaimed objectives of dismantling Hamas and getting the hostages back.
The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry says more than 40,000 people in the Strip have been killed or are presumed dead in the fighting so far, though the toll cannot be verified and does not differentiate between civilians and fighters. Israel says it has killed some 17,000 combatants in battle and another 1,000 terrorists inside Israel on October 7.
Israel has said it seeks to minimize civilian fatalities and stresses that Hamas uses Gaza’s civilians as human shields, fighting from civilian areas including homes, hospitals, schools, and mosques.
