British Foreign Secretary David Lammy
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LONDON — British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said Monday the country will immediately suspend some arms export licenses to Israel over concerns they could be used in ways that violate international law.
Lammy said 30 of the UK’s roughly 350 arms export licences to Israel would be suspended.
“This is not a blanket ban. This is not an arms embargo,” Lammy said as he addressed lawmakers in the House of Commons.
Lammy said a review had found there was a “clear risk” that some export licences “could be used to commit or facilitate serious violations of international humanitarian law”.
Mr Lammy said the suspended export licenses only related to items that could be used in the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza.
“I can state unequivocally that the UK continues to support Israel’s right to self-defence under international law,” Lammy said.
Israel’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment on Monday.
The decision was made as Protests continue in Israelwith protests taking place aimed at forcing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to reach a hostage deal with Hamas.
Huge crowds gathered in major Israeli cities on Sunday, with more than 300,000 people gathering for protests in Tel Aviv, according to a Google-translated update from the Hostage Families Forum, which organized some of the protests.
The ongoing war between Israel and Hamas has left Israel increasingly isolated from the international community, which has called for a ceasefire amid concerns about its military response in the Gaza Strip and the harm to Palestinian civilians.
— CNBC’s Ruxandra Iordache contributed to this report.
