UK Limits Military Aid To Isreal, Cites Human Rights Violation ~ OsazuwaAkonedo #Benjamin #Biden #David #Gaza #Israel #Joe #Lammy #Netanyahu #Palestine #UK #USA https://osazuwaakonedo.online/uk-limits-military-aid-to-isreal-cites-human-rights-violation/02/09/2024/ #Issues Published: September 2nd, 2024 Reshared: September 2, 2024 10:30 pm United Kingdom, UK has reduced its military aid to Israel, an action the
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00:00United Kingdom, UK has reduced its military aid to Israel, an action the country said
00:06it took to prevent international human violation.
00:10The UK Foreign Secretary, David Laming, made this known on Monday.
00:15There have been massive protests in Israel especially since on Sunday as thousands of
00:20the Israelis also held a nationwide strike to demand a Gaza ceasefire on Monday, hours
00:26after hundreds of thousands of people gathered in some of the biggest protests since the
00:30Gaza war began.
00:32United States of America, USA President, Joe Biden, also on Monday said that he thanks
00:39the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu is not doing enough to secure the release
00:45of the hostages still in the captivity of the Palestinian fighters, Hamas.
00:51When asked if he thought PM Netanyahu had done enough to secure a hostage deal between
00:56Israel and Hamas, President Biden answered, no.
01:01Biden led the remark to reporters after the weekend, during which, the bodies of six hostages
01:07executed by Hamas were found in a Gaza tunnel.
01:11Among those discovered was the body of 23-year-old American-Israeli Hashem Goldberg Polly, whose
01:17parents had publicly pleaded for the return of their son.
01:21The pair had brought their personal appeal to the Democratic National Convention, when
01:26they were received with a standing ovation.
01:30Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu in a nationwide broadcast on Monday, said,
01:36the six hostages were deliberately killed by Hamas to get concession.
01:41Benjamin Netanyahu said he has always made a deal for ceasefire but Hamas always refused
01:46to accept the demands, saying, they are deliberately killing hostages to get concession.
01:53Benjamin Netanyahu while also reacting to the mass protests by Israelis over the killing
01:58of the hostages and called for him to enter a ceasefire deal with the Hamas, said, the
02:03pressure should be mounted on Hamas and not Israel.
02:07Adding, Israel will not go to pressure, UK Foreign Secretary, Lalliwan speaking on Monday,
02:14said the decision to suspend 30 licenses of arms sales to Israel comes following a
02:20review of export licenses for UK arms which found there was a, clear risk, that the weapons
02:26will be used in a way that could breach international law.
02:30Around 30 of 350 licenses will be suspended, Lalli said.
02:36The move marks a shift for the United Kingdom and came as part of the new Labour government's
02:41review of Israel's compliance with international humanitarian law amid its war in Gaza.
02:47Lalli said the government had a, legal duty, to do the review.
02:53The suspended arms export licenses, about 30 out of around 350, include sales of components
03:01for military aircraft including fighter aircraft, helicopters and drones.
03:06The arms also include items believed to be used for ground targeting, Lalli said.
03:12The assessment I have received leaves me unable to conclude anything other than that for certain
03:18UK arms exports to Israel.
03:20There does exist a, clear risk that they might be used to commit or facilitate a serious
03:25violation of international humanitarian law, Lalli said.
03:29Israeli Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz said Britain's decision sends a very problematic
03:35message to Hamas and its sponsors in Iran, while Israel's Minister of Defence Yair Golan
03:42said he was, deeply disheartened, by Britain's announcement.
03:46Lalli stressed that the suspension was, not a blanket ban, or, an arms embargo, and that
03:54the British government has not, and could not, arbitrate on whether or not Israel has
04:00breached international humanitarian law.
04:03This is a forward-looking evaluation, not a determination of innocence or guilt, and
04:09it does not prejudge any future determinations by the competent courts, he said.
04:15It would be recalled that the war started when Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023,
04:21killing about 1,200 people and taking more than 250, hostage.
04:28Thereafter, Israel launched military campaign in Gaza that has killed more than 40,000 people,
04:35according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and
04:40combatants but says the majority killed are women and children.
04:45Britain has faced mounting pressure in recent months to suspend arms sales to Israel, with
04:50protesters gathering in the streets outside government buildings to call for an end to
04:54arms transfers.
04:57Britain's former Foreign Secretary David Cameron said in April that arms sales to Israel would
05:02not be suspended.
05:04Lalli said an immediate review of British arms export licensing to Israel was initiated
05:09when the Labour Party came to power in July.
05:13Britain is not a major supplier of arms to Israel and says its arms exports represent
05:180.02 per cent of Israel's overall military imports.
05:23The United States and Germany supply the vast majority of Israel's imported arms.
05:29The Biden administration has continued to provide arms to Israel, despite concerns among
05:35U.S. officials and lawmakers about Israel's military tactics.
05:40Last month, the Biden administration approved about $20 billion in new weapons sales to
05:46Israel over the next several years.
05:53Criteria 2C of the Strategic Export Licensing Criteria states that the government will
06:00not issue export licences if there is a clear risk that the items might be used to commit
06:07or facilitate serious violations of international humanitarian law.
06:13It is with regret that I inform the House today the assessment I have received leaves
06:21me unable to conclude anything other than that for certain UK arms exports to Israel
06:28there does exist a clear risk that might be used to commit or facilitate a serious violation
06:36of international humanitarian law.
06:39I have informed my right honourable friend the Business and Trade Secretary and he is
06:44therefore today announcing the suspension of around 30 from a total of approximately
06:50350 to Israel as required under the Export Controls Act.
06:58These include equipment that we assess is for use in the current conflict in Gaza, such
07:05as important components which go into military aircraft, including fighter aircraft, helicopters
07:13and drones, as well as items which facilitate ground targeting.
07:18For transparency, this government is publishing a summary of our assessment.
07:22Are you planning to present a final hostage deal to both sides this week?
07:27We're very close to that.
07:29What makes you think that this deal will be successful in a way that the other deals were not?
07:35Hope spends eternal.
07:37Mr. President, if you think it's time for Prime Minister Netanyahu to do more on this
07:42issue, do you think he's doing enough?
07:44No.
07:45I was asked whether Israel is not, I'm not doing enough to the release of hostages.
07:56Well, I want to set the record straight.
08:00On April 27th, Secretary of State Blinken said that Israel made an extraordinarily generous
08:06offer for a hostage deal.
08:11On May 31st, Israel agreed to a U.S.-backed proposal.
08:17Hamas refused.
08:19On August 16th, Israel agreed to what the United States defined as a final bridging
08:26proposal.
08:27Hamas refused again.
08:30On August 19th, Secretary Blinken said Israel accepted the U.S. proposal.
08:38Now Hamas must do the same.
08:41On August 28th, that's five days ago, five days ago, Deputy CIA Director said that Israel
08:49shows seriousness in the negotiations, now Hamas must show the same seriousness.
08:55I want to ask you something.
08:59What has changed in the last five days?
09:03What has changed?
09:04One thing.
09:06These murderers executed six of our hostages.
09:11They shot them in the back of the head.
09:13That's what's changed.
09:16And now after this, we're asked to show seriousness?
09:22We're asked to make concessions?
09:25What message does this send Hamas?
09:28It says kill more hostages, murder more hostages.
09:31You'll get more concessions?
09:34The pressure internationally must be directed at these killers, at Hamas, not at Israel.
09:41We say yes, they say no all the time, but they also murdered these people.
09:45And now we need maximum pressure on Hamas.
09:48I don't believe that either President Biden or anyone serious about achieving peace and
09:54achieving the release would seriously ask Israel to make these concessions.
10:01We've already made them.
10:03Thank you very much.