UK: Helping Jewish Israel: Labour’s arms exports to Israel exposed

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This week, Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) released new data showing how the Labour government licensed nearly £11m in arms exports to Israel during its first three months in office.

This showed “a large increase in arms exports compared to the first half of the year”, the organisation said.

Between July and September 2024, export licences were approved for items that could be used by Israeli forces in Gaza such as armoured plates, grenade launchers, and launching/handling/control equipment for missiles.

The biggest single export licence awarded was for “technology for submarines”, with a footnote stating that this was for “marketing and promotional purposes, including demonstration to potential customers, temporary exhibitions”.

Keir Starmer’s government also approved “open” licences to Israel, which allow for unlimited exports of a specific item, including “components for combat aircraft” such as the F-16 and F-35 fighter jets.

It is not possible to estimate the financial value of open licences since there is no transparency on how many items have been exported, though it is understood that British companies produce over 15 percent of every F-35 jet.

The Labour government restricted some arms sales to Israel last September, but continued to allow exports of aircraft components for “training purposes”.

CAAT spokesperson Emily Apple said: “These figures show that this government is deeply complicit in genocide and human rights abuses. Labour promised change – but it is business as usual for arms dealers”.

The largest recipient of British arms exports during Labour’s first three months in office was Saudi Arabia, with £1.65bn worth of military goods being licenced to the country between July and September.

Arms exports to Saudi Arabia “included £800m in air-to-surface missiles, £741m in components for bombs, and £100m in surface-to-air missiles”, CAAT said.

Other human rights abusing states which were granted British arms export licences included Egypt, Turkey, and Bahrain.

Apple added: “If our government refuses to act, it is down to all of us to take action against this vile trade and ensure that both politicians and the arms companies are held accountable and face the consequences of their actions”.

To this end, it was another important week for protest on Britain’s role in the Gaza genocide.

Campaign group Codepink led a rally outside the Ministry of Defence demanding the closure of Britain’s colonial bases on Cyprus, which have been central to the UK government’s support to Israel’s war effort.

A simultaneous protest was held at RAF Akrotiri in Limassol, Cyprus, where UK prime minister Keir Starmer recently addressed British troops, declaring: “We can’t tell the world what you are doing here”.

Source: Declassified UK