The United Kingdom has never been a major supplier of arms to Israel. But it has long been valued as a major ally. That’s why the U.K.’s decision to bar the export of some weapons to Israel got so much attention last week.
The U.K. announced that it would not be shipping 30 out of 350 categories of arms previously sold to Israel because of what it termed the “clear risk” that certain weapons might be used in breach of international humanitarian law. The banned materials include parts for F-16 jet fighters and drones but do not include parts necessary to ensure Israel’s ability to defend itself, such as equipment for submarines and training.
Everyone recognizes that the U.K. announcement is largely symbolic, since the U.K.’s military sales to Israel are so small. According to reports, British military sales to Israel account for less than 1% of Israel’s arms imports, with sales from the U.S. accounting for 69% and sales from Germany accounting for 30%.
But while the U.K.’s announcement had very little to do with the issue of arms sales, per se, it had everything to do with international politics and mounting pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to end the war in Gaza.
Netanyahu called the U.K.’s decision “shameful.” Britain’s Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis worried that the decision will “serve to encourage our shared enemies.” At the same time, pro-Palestinian groups complained that the embargo didn’t go far enough as it failed, in their view, to reflect a real desire to end the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
But the message was clear. And it signaled a shift in the U.K.’s diplomatic backing of Israel, which has always been more important to the Jewish state than any logistical or military support. And the move is particularly worrisome because it opens diplomatic space for other allies to follow suit, and further complicates international wrangling over the Gaza war.
For the better part of the past year, the British government has supported Israel’s right of self-defense against Hamas and Iran. Its military joined in the protection of Israeli ships in the Red Sea from Houthi rebel attacks and sent aircraft to help shoot down Iranian drones aimed at Israel earlier this year.
But under the leadership of newly elected Prime Minister Keir Starmer, things are changing. And the changes aren’t subtle. Since the Labour Party’s Starmer took office, the U.K. has backed away from the former Conservative government’s challenge to the right of the International Criminal Court to seek an arrest warrant for Netanyahu and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and has resumed funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, which employed Hamas-connected staff members who were involved in the Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
The Labour Party has a sizeable Muslim and pro-Palestinian voter base, but still lost several seats in the July election to independent candidates who made the Gaza war and its ensuing devastation the main pitch of their campaigns. These results are consistent with recent polling that showed 74% of Britons support a cease-fire in Gaza without conditions and 58% back an arms embargo on Israel.
Hamas is still holding approximately 100 hostages in Gaza, five of whom are British citizens. We are hard-pressed to understand how the U.K.’s weak-kneed, “symbolic” diplomatic slap at Israel will, in any way, help its five hostage citizens or anyone else.
