UK’s Starmer defends partial Israel arms halt as ‘legal decision,’ not policy change
Criticized by Jerusalem, British PM says ‘difficult issue’ is not a policy decision, reiterates that it does not signal change in UK’s commitment to Israel’s right to self-defense
LONDON, United Kingdom — UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Wednesday defended his government’s partial suspension of arms exports to Israel over fears they could be used in a breach of humanitarian law, asserting this was “a legal decision” rather than one of policy.
Starmer said that Monday’s announcement to suspend 30 of 350 arms export licenses did not signify a change in UK support for Israel’s right to self-defense.
He also said that allies “understand” the UK’s move.
“This is a difficult issue, I recognize that, but it’s a legal decision, not a policy decision,” Starmer told lawmakers during the weekly Prime Minister’s Questions session in parliament.
He said the decision was taken following a review by the foreign ministry into Israel’s conduct of its war against the Hamas terror group in the Gaza Strip.
The review was launched by British Foreign Secretary David Lammy shortly after Starmer’s center-left Labour Party swept to power in early July after a landslide general election victory over the Conservatives.
“We will of course stand by Israel’s right to self-defense but it’s important that we are committed to the international rule of law,” Starmer said.
The partial ban covers items that could be used in the current war in Gaza including fighter aircraft, helicopters and drones but not parts for advanced F-35 stealth fighter jets.
The decision has angered Israel, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu slamming it as “shameful.”
Starmer also denied that the move indicated a split with the United States.
On Monday, US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said London had informed Washington of its move before it was announced.
“We’ll let other nations decide for themselves if they’re going to support Israel and to what degree,” Kirby told reporters. “That’s what sovereignty is all about.”
He added that for its part there had been “no determination” by the United States that Israel had violated humanitarian law.
However, UK’s The Times newspaper cited a senior British government source as saying that the US has privately warned London against the arms suspension amid concerns it could damage attempts to broker a ceasefire and hostage deal between Israel and Hamas.
In London, Starmer told MPs: “We have talked this through with our allies, they understand, they have a different legal system, that is the point they have made.”
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.
British officials have not said that Israel is violating humanitarian law, but believe there is a serious risk, according to the two-month assessment.
The suspension could be lifted in the future if the UK assesses that the risk of violations has diminished.
Starmer’s government is pursuing a more nuanced approach to the Middle East conflict than his predecessor Rishi Sunak’s Tory administration.
It has similarly repeatedly called for a ceasefire and for speeding up aid deliveries to Gaza, and demanded that Hamas release all hostages seized in its October 7 terror onslaught.
But it has also resumed funding for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees and their descendants (UNRWA) — which the UK suspended following allegations from Israel that members of its staff had taken part in the October 7 assault — and dropped a legal challenge over international arrest warrants for senior Israeli figures, including Netanyahu.
Israel has denied that it has violated international law in Gaza, saying it seeks to minimize civilian casualties and takes far-reaching steps to that end. It further stresses that Hamas uses Gaza’s civilians as human shields, fighting from civilian areas including homes, hospitals, schools and mosques — itself a violation of international law.
Israel’s war with Hamas erupted in the Gaza Strip following the terror group’s brutal assault inside Israel on October 7, in which some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were massacred and 251 were taken as hostages.
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’s toll in the ground offensive against Hamas in Gaza and in military operations along the border with the Strip stands at 341.
