British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Wednesday that his country's arms export licenses for shipments to Israel have remained unchanged in line with the most recent assessment.
Sunak's remarks came as he was responding to a question from Scottish National Party leader in Westminster, Stephen Flynn, who asked whether the UK would follow suit and pause arm shipments to Israel after a US government decision to halt some shipments following Israel's land operation into Rafah.
“The gentleman may not realise that the UK government doesn't itself directly provide arms or ship bombs to Israel,” Sunak said.
“When it comes to the situation in Rafah, I've been very clear that we are deeply concerned about a full military incursion in Rafah, given the devastating humanitarian impact,” he said.
“I've made that position and points specifically to Prime Minister Netanyahu whenever we've spoken, and will continue to urge all sides to focus on the negotiations at hand to bring about a pause in the conflict to release hostages and get more aid in.”
Flynn, however, further pressed Sunak, saying that “the confidence that Israel has shown and its military ambitions in Rafah stems from the silence, which has been shown from its allies on the front benches in this place, and elsewhere across the world.”
He said: “We all know the UK arms and tech is supported as well as activities in Gaza and will be used in any attack on Rafah.
“Knowing that and the devastation which is going to occur, surely the time has come to end our complicity and to halt on sales to Israel.”
Sunak said the UK takes “our defence export responsibilities extremely seriously and that's why we operate one of the most robust licensing control regimes anywhere in the world.”
Sunak said: “We periodically review advice on Israel's commitment to international humanitarian law and ministers always act in accordance with that advice.
“And that is crystal clear for the House to understand our position with regard to export licences following the most recent assessment is unchanged,” he said, urging all parties “to engage in the negotiations that are happening so we can see a pause in fighting to get more aid in hostages out and then bring about a sustainable ceasefire to this conflict.”
The US halted a sizeable weapons shipment to Israel due to worries about their potential use in Rafah, an official told US media on Tuesday.
The official, who requested anonymity, said the shipment included 1,800 bombs of 2,000 pounds (907 kilograms) and 1,700 bombs of 500 lbs. (227 kg), stressing concern about the use of the larger bombs in densely populated areas of Gaza, NBC news reported.
The statement came after the Israeli military said that its tanks had entered Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip and seized control of the city's critical border crossing with Egypt.
Israel has waged an unrelenting offensive on the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack by Hamas last Oct. 7 which killed some 1,200 people.
Over seven months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins, pushing 85% of the enclave's population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine, according to the UN.
Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January said it is "plausible" that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza and ordered Tel Aviv to stop such acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.
