UK Deputy PM: We must Suspend Arms to ’Israel’

Saturday 9 August 2014

UK Deputy PM: We must Suspend Arms to ’Israel’

The Deputy Prime Minister of the UK coalition government and leader of the Liberal Democrat Party Nick Clegg has called for arms exports to "Israel" to be suspended.

His call came immediately after Cabinet Minister and Conservative Party member Baroness Sayeeda Warsi resigned from her post after expressing her criticisms of the UK government's policy on Gaza.

"I think the question marks that Sayeeda Warsi has raised about the arms export licences which we issue to arms exporters selling to "Israel" are very serious ones and I share her concerns," Clegg said in a statement published on the Liberal Democrat's official website.

Saying that the "Israeli" aggression on Gaza "overstepped the mark", Clegg called the "Israeli" bombing of three UN schools an "outrageous spectacle" that breached the conditions of export licenses.

He said he wants to see export licenses suspended pending a "wider review of whether they should be revoked more permanently in the long run."

"I believe we will be able to make an announcement on this, finally, very shortly. It's taken a little bit longer than I'd like to have this agreed across government but I think it's very important that in response to clearly what appears to be disproportionate military action of "Israel" in Gaza, we should be suspending the arms export licenses that presently exist," he added.

Senior British Foreign Office Minister Baroness Sayeeda Warsi resigned from the UK government on Tuesday, saying she can no longer support the government's policy on Gaza.

"Our approach and language during the current crisis in Gaza is morally indefensible, is not in Britain's national interest and will have a long term detrimental impact on our reputation internationally and domestically," Warsi said.

A report revealed earlier this week showed the extent to which the British government has been supplying "Israel" with military equipment ranging from weapons control and targeting systems to ammunition, drones and armored vehicles which are being used in the bombardment of Gaza.

Documents shown to The Independent revealed that arms export licenses worth £42m had been granted to 130 British military manufacturers since 2010 with the aim of selling military gear to "Israel".

Lawmaker Katy Clark of the Labor Party opposition told The Independent: "By refusing to investigate this vital question the British Government are trying to bury their heads in the sand. This is a shameful approach to take and frankly makes the Government look as if it has something to hide.

"The British public have the right to know the level of support which the United Kingdom has provided to the "Israeli" armed forces through arms sales."

Campaign Against Arms Trade [CAAT] member Andrew Smith told The Independent, "There must be an immediate embargo on all arms sales and military collaboration with "Israel". When governments sell weapons into war zones they cannot absolve themselves of responsibility for what happens when they are used."

To this, a statement read by a British government spokesman replied: "We are currently reviewing all existing export licenses to "Israel". All applications for export licenses are assessed on a case by case basis against strict criteria. We will not issue a license if there is a clear risk that the equipment might be used for internal repression, or if there is a clear risk that it would provoke or prolong conflict."

"We are currently reviewing all export licenses to "Israel" to confirm that we think they are appropriate," a spokeswoman for Prime Minister David Cameron told reporters. The decision to conduct the review was taken last week, she said.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team

07-08-2014 | 12:30