{Twelve licenses for British companies to sell arms to Israel will be suspended if fresh hostilities break out in Gaza, the UK government announced, following a review of licensed exports to Tel Aviv.}
The review, released Tuesday, found the vast majority of exports currently licensed for Israel are not for items that could be used by Israeli forces in operations in Gaza in response to attacks by Hamas.
Business Secretary Vince Cable welcomed the current ceasefire in Gaza and expressed hope that this would lead to a peaceful resolution. He said, however, that the government had thus far been able to clarify whether the export criteria were being met.
“In light of that uncertainty we have taken the decision to suspend these existing export licenses in the event of a resumption of significant hostilities,” he said.
“No new licenses of military equipment have been issued for use by the Israeli Defence Force during the review period and as a precautionary measure this approach will continue until hostilities cease,” Cable added.
The decision comes after the government found that companies had been granted permission to sell weapons parts used by the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) in Gaza.
The investigation, conducted over the past few weeks, has found that British companies have licenses to sell parts for tanks, fighter jets and military radar systems all used by the IDF.
The suspensions would not, however, affect components of Israel’s Iron Dome missile shield, which helps to protect the Israelis from Hamas rocket attacks. A license worth £7.7bn for equipment to build mobile phone networks will not be revoked, as officials said there was no chance that such material would be used for military purposes.
Since 2010, the UK government has licensed £42 million worth of military licences to Israel, including targeting systems and drone components.
{{rt.com}}
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