Jerusalem: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday assailed as “shameful” the British government’s decision to suspend arms export licenses to Israel. The move, announced by British Foreign Minister David Lammy, involved the freezing of 30 out of 350 licenses due to concerns that the equipment may be used in serious violations of international humanitarian law.
The suspension came a day after Israeli forces recovered the bodies of six hostages from a tunnel in Gaza. Netanyahu rejected the British decision and vowed that would not deter Israel in its mission against Hamas, whom he termed a “genocidal terrorist organization.” He added that the suspension only whets Hamas’ appetite, and that Israel would carry out its fight with or without the British arms.
David Lammy said the suspension was part of a wider review into arms sales to ensure that there is always compliance with international law and underlined that British arms form less than 1% of Israel’s total arms imports. The UK also still supports Israel’s right to self-defense despite the suspension, according to Lammy.