Eastwood welcomes British suspension of 30 arms export licences to Israel
Eastwood welcomes British suspension of 30 arms export licences to Israel
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00:00On taking office in July, I told this House that this government's priority in the region would be
00:08to advance the cause of peace, and this continues to be our mission on every front. In Israel,
00:16in the West Bank, in Lebanon, in the Red Sea, and of course in Gaza, where we need an immediate
00:21ceasefire, the protection of civilians, the immediate release of all hostages, and more aid
00:29getting into Gaza. Over the summer, we were faced with the prospect of full-scale war breaking out
00:36between Lebanese Hezbollah and Israel. On each of the three visits I've made to the region,
00:43including alongside my right hon. Friend the Defence Secretary, and most recently a joint
00:50visit with the French Foreign Minister Ségolène, I have urged Lebanese Hezbollah, the Lebanese
00:57government, and Israel to engage with the US-led discussions to resolve their disagreements
01:03diplomatically, and to reach a peaceful resolution through the implementation of the UN Security
01:10Council Resolution 1701. And as we continue to work with our allies and partners to push for a
01:18diplomatic solution, we nonetheless stand ready for the worst-case scenario, including the
01:24potential evacuation of British nationals, and our message to those still in Lebanon remains clear.
01:30Leave now. Mr Speaker, our common goal of peace in the Middle East will never be lasting until
01:37there is safety, security, and sovereignty for both Israel and a Palestinian state.
01:44We must all keep at the forefront of our minds the pain, the anguish, the horror that this conflict
01:51has caused for so many ordinary civilians. The victims of the October 7 atrocity, the hostages,
02:00and all those still enduring unimaginable suffering, whether they're hoping to see their
02:04loved ones again or mourning their loss, as the tragic events of this weekend illustrate,
02:11as the bodies of six murdered hostages were recovered. The Israeli people still living
02:17under rocket fire, not only from Hamas, but from other hostile actors explicitly dedicated
02:22to Israel's annihilation, fighting an enemy in Hamas whose appalling tactics endanger countless
02:29civilian lives. And the innocent Palestinians, tens of thousands killed in the fighting,
02:33their numbers growing by the day, including distressing numbers of women and children,
02:38many mothers so malnourished they cannot produce milk for their babies,
02:43families struggling to keep their children alive, disease and famine looming ever larger, heroic
02:51humanitarians putting their lives on the line to help others, like the brave aid workers I met
02:56from the United Nations agencies and from the Palestinian Red Crescent Society warehouse I
03:03visited alongside France's foreign minister last month. Indeed, last Thursday, the UK led a session
03:12at the United Nations Security Council encouraging a continued global focus on the protection of
03:17civilians in Gaza, including the need for action on polio, and now deeply worrying the escalation
03:25we're seeing in the West Bank as well as in Gaza, with many communities facing settler violence
03:32amid an ongoing occupation and so many on either side of this terrible conflict convinced that the
03:38world does not grasp the reality of Israel's predicament or the depth of Palestinian suffering.
03:45Throughout my life, I have been a friend of Israel, a liberal progressive Zionist who believes in
03:50Israel as a democratic state and a homeland for the Jewish people, which has both the right to
03:56exist and defend itself. But I believe also that Israel will only exist in safety and security
04:03if there is a two-state solution that guarantees the rights of all Israeli citizens and their
04:09Palestinians' neighbours, who have their own inalienable right to self-determination and security.
04:17Mr Speaker, as concern at the horrifying scenes in Gaza has risen, many in this House,
04:22as well as esteemed lawyers and international organisations, have raised British arms export
04:27licensing to Israel. After raising my own concerns from opposition on taking office,
04:35I immediately sought to update the review. And on my first appearance as Foreign Secretary in this
04:41House, I committed to sharing the review's conclusions. We have rigorously followed
04:47every stage of the process which the previous Conservative government established.
04:53And let me first be clear on the review's scope. This government is not an international court.
05:01We have not and could not arbitrate on whether or not Israel has breached international
05:07humanitarian law. This is a forward-looking evaluation, not a determination of innocence
05:14or guilt. And it does not prejudge any future determinations by the competent courts.
05:21But facing a conflict such as this, it is this government's legal duty to review export licences.
05:28Criteria 2C of the Strategic Export Licensing Criteria states that the government will not
05:35issue export licences if there is a clear risk that the items might be used to commit or facilitate
05:43serious violations of international humanitarian law. It is with regret that I inform the House
05:51today the assessment I have received leaves me unable to conclude anything other than that for
05:59certain UK arms exports to Israel, there does exist a clear risk that they might be used to
06:07commit or facilitate a serious violation of international humanitarian law. I have informed
06:15my right honourable friend the Business and Trade Secretary and he is therefore today announcing
06:21the suspension of around 30 from a total of approximately 350 to Israel as required under
06:29the Export Controls Act. These include equipment that we assess is for use in the current conflict
06:38in Gaza, such as important components which go into military aircraft, including fighter aircraft,
06:46helicopters and drones, as well as items which facilitate ground targeting. And for transparency,
06:54this government is publishing a summary of our assessment. Today I want to underline four points
07:01about these decisions. First, Israel's actions in Gaza continue to lead to immense loss of civilian
07:08life, widespread destruction to civilian infrastructure and immense suffering. In many
07:14cases it's not been possible to reach a determinative conclusion on allegations regarding Israel's
07:19conduct of facilities, in part because there is insufficient information either from Israel
07:24or other reliable sources to verify such claims. Nevertheless, it is the assessment of His Majesty's
07:30government that Israel could reasonably do more to ensure life-saving food and medical supplies
07:38reach civilians in Gaza, in light of the appalling humanitarian situation. And this government is
07:45also deeply concerned by credible claims of mistreatment of detainees, which the International
07:52Committee of the Red Cross cannot investigate after being denied access to places of detention.
07:59Both my predecessor and all our major allies have repeatedly and forcefully raised these concerns
08:05with the Israeli government. Regrettably, they have not been addressed satisfactorily.
08:11Second, there can be no doubt that Hamas pays not the slightest heed to international
08:17humanitarian law and endangers civilians by embedding itself in the tightly concentrated
08:23civilian population and in civilian infrastructure. There is no equivalence between Hamas' terrorists
08:32and Israel's democratic government, or indeed Iran and their partners and proxies,
08:39but to license arms exports to Israel we must assess their compliance with international
08:45humanitarian law, notwithstanding the abhorrence of their opponents' tactics and ideology.
08:52Third, this is not a blanket ban. This is not an arms embargo. It targets around 30,
09:01approximately 350, licenses to Israel in total for items which could be used
09:08in the current conflict in Gaza. The rest will continue.
09:15Neither will the action we are taking have a material impact on Israel's security.
09:19This suspension only covers items which might be used in the current conflict.
09:24There are a number of export licenses which we have assessed are not for military use
09:28in the current conflict and therefore do not require suspension. These include items that
09:33are not being used by the Israel Defence Forces in the current conflict, such as
09:37training aircraft or other naval equipment. These also include export licenses for civilian use,
09:43covering a range of products such as food testing chemicals, telecoms and data equipment.
09:48Nor will it pre-judge the international collaboration global F-35 programme that
09:54supplies aircraft for more than 20 countries, and that is crucial to wider peace and security.
10:01Indeed, the effects of suspending all licenses for the F-35 programme would undermine the global
10:07F-30 flight supply chain that is vital for the security of the UK, our allies in NATO.
10:13Therefore, the Business and Trade Secretary has exempted these licenses from his decision.
10:18Fourth, the government will keep our position under review.
10:22Commitment to comply with international humanitarian law is not the only criteria
10:27in making export licensing decisions. We will continue to work with our allies
10:31to improve the situation. Foreign policy, of course, involves tough choices,
10:36but I will always seek to take such decisions in line with our principles,
10:41and I will keep this House updated in line with the previous commitment.
10:45Mr Speaker, we do not take this decision lightly, but we note that on previous occasions,
10:51Ministers from all sides of the House—Labour, Conservative and Middle Democrat—chose
10:56not to license exports to Israel. In 1982, Margaret Thatcher imposed a full arms embargo
11:04and oil embargo on Israel as they fought in Lebanon. Conflicts in Gaza prompted Gordon
11:10Brown to suspend five licenses in 2009, and Vince Cable chose not to issue new licenses
11:16while conducting a review in 2014. Like them, this government takes seriously its role
11:22in applying export licensing law, reflecting the published criteria and the specific circumstances.
11:28But let me leave this House in no doubt. The UK continues to support Israel's right to self-defence
11:35in accordance with international law. In April, British fighter jets intercepted Iranian missiles
11:42aimed at Israel, preventing significant loss of civilian life. We supported robust action against
11:48the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen, who have attacked Israel directly, as well as Israel-linked
11:54shipping. Iran should be in no doubt of our commitment to challenge their reckless and
11:59destabilising activity in the region and across the world. We will continue to work hand in glove
12:05with our international partners to stand up to Iranian aggression and malign activity, wherever
12:10it is found. We continue to hold Iran to account, including through extensive sanctions.
12:16Today, we are doing so again. We are announcing new sanctions on four IRGC force targets,
12:25who have a role in supporting Iranian proxy actions in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon,
12:31through the UK's dedicated Iran sanctions regime. We have sanctioned over 400 Iranian individuals
12:37and entities. Through our work with partners, we are exposing and containing Iran's destabilising
12:42weapons development, where soon we will be introducing further regulations to bolster
12:47existing bans on the export of goods and technology significant to Iran's production
12:51of drones and missiles. Let me be clear. We will continue to work with Israel and our partners to
12:57tackle the threat from Iran across the region. This Government will continue to stand for Israel's
13:03security, and we will always do so in a manner consistent with our obligations to domestic and
13:08international law. I commend this statement to the House.