British civil servants have reportedly suspended the processing of arms export licenses for sales to Israel as the government undertakes a compressive review of this arms export policy.
This decision comes amid rising concerns over the legality of such exports to Israel’s military who have been accused of committing war crimes in Gaza.
The civil servants have frozen all applications for new arms export licences to Israel, pending a review ordered by Foreign Secretary David Lammy, Daily Mail reported late on Friday.
According to the reports, the review which lacks a fixed completion date due to its complexity aims to differentiate between weapons intended for offensive and defensive purposes in the ongoing conflict.
The reports indicate that exporters seeking arms sales licences are reportedly receiving messages from the Department for Business and Trade saying that applications are suspended pending the review.
The defence trade body representatives had also been told no new request for licences would proceed until the government decides on the review.
On the other hand, while speaking to Middle East Eye on Monday, August 4, a spokesperson for the Business and Trade said that it will continue “to review export licence applications on a case-by-case basis against the Strategic Export Licensing Criteria.”
Meanwhile, the suspension has raised eyebrows, Whitehall sources have reportedly clarified that this does signify a change in government policy. Instead, they describe the move as part of standard administrative procedures.
As the situation evolves, the newly formed government in the United Kingdom led by Keir Starmer is expected to announce its final stance on arms sales to Israel later this summer.
Perteintly, the government has previously issued over 100 arms export licenses to Israel since the onset of the conflict in war-torn Gaza and other occupied territories of Palestine in October 2023, with significant scrutiny from human rights organizations and political figures across the globe urging a reassessment of these exports.
