The Palestinian envoy to the UK has called on the British government to impose a full arms embargo on Israel in response to its actions in Gaza, Anadolu Agency reports.
“Grave violations of IHL (International Humanitarian Law) require a full arms embargo, and we will continue working with the UK government, parliament and civil society towards that end,” Husam Zomlot said in a statement late Monday.
Zomlot welcomed the UK’s decision to suspend some arms export licenses to Israel and criticised the use of these weapons in Israel’s “genocidal aggression on Gaza”.
“This is an important step in the UK government fulfilling its legal obligations under domestic and international law, especially in view of the recent advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice on Israel’s unlawful occupation of Palestinian land,” he added.
On Monday, the UK government announced it would suspend 30 out of 350 arms export licenses to Israel, following a review. The decision warned that certain UK arms exports to Israel might be used to commit or facilitate serious violations of International Humanitarian Law.
The Anadolu report adds that 30 licenses include components for military aircraft, helicopters, drones and items that facilitate ground targeting, excluding UK components for the F-35 fighter jet program.
Following the announcement, Israeli Defence Minister, Yoav Gallant, and Foreign Minister, Israel Katz, separately expressed their deep disappointment with the UK’s decision.
On Tuesday, British Defence Secretary, John Healey, stated that the decision does not alter the UK’s “unshakable commitment to support Israel’s right to self-defence” and will not have a “material impact” on Israel’s security.
An occupying state has no inherent right to claim self-defence when fighting against the people living under its occupation. On the contrary, the people under occupation have the right to resist occupation by any means, including “armed struggle”.
Israel’s ongoing war on the Gaza Strip has killed nearly 40,800 Palestinian deaths, mostly women and children, and over 94,200 injuries, according to local health authorities.
The ongoing blockade of the enclave has led to severe shortages of food, clean water and medicine, leaving much of the region in ruins.
Israel faces accusations of genocide for its actions in Gaza at the International Court of Justice.
