Sunak urged to keep sending arms to Israel

Former attorney general argues embargo would be ‘wrong step – strategically, economically and morally’

AN ARMS embargo on Israel would “risk international confidence” in the UK as an export partner, the former Attorney General has warned.

Those calling on Britain to stop selling weapons to Israel are “virtue signalling”, according to Sir Michael Ellis, who argues that an arms embargo would be the “wrong step – strategically, economically and morally”.

Writing for The Telegraph, the MP said that the UK’s reputation as a reliable arms exporter, which is worth billions of pounds to the UK economy, “must not be risked for the sake of perceived political point-scoring”.

Earlier this week, three former Supreme Court justices, along with over 600 lawyers and academics, signed a letter warning that the Government is breaching international law by continuing to arm Israel.

But Sir Michael has argued that a UK arms embargo would have “far-reaching unintended consequences”, such as destroying our “stated goal of securing Israeli-Palestinian peace and countering Iranian belligerence”. He added a ban would “bring our projection of values on the world stage into disrepute”.

The UK supplies far more arms to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt and many other “non-democracies”, he said, arguing: “How could we justify continued sales to Qatar, which actually harbours Hamas’s leaders, while refusing to supply arms to Israel as it fights terrorists?”

Lord Cameron, the Foreign Secretary, is yet to be convinced that the legal threshold has been met to suspend arms exports because of Israel’s actions in Gaza, according to Government sources. There is a legal mechanism in the UK that requires an arms export ban if it is determined that a country is not showing commitment to international humanitarian law.

Yesterday, more than three dozen congressional Democrats, including key Joe Biden ally Nancy Pelosi, wrote to the US president urging a halt to weapons transfers to Israel. “In light of the recent strike against aid workers and the ever-worsening humanitarian crisis, we believe it is unjustifiable to approve these weapons transfers,” the letter, signed by 40 lawmakers, said.

It said that any current and future arms transfers should be withheld until the US has conducted its own investigation into the Israeli air strike on Monday that killed seven aid workers with World Central Kitchen, one of whom was a dual US-Canadian citizen.

Earlier this week, Boris Johnson said it would be “insane” to ban arms sales to Israel. The former foreign secretary and prime minister wrote in the Daily Mail:

“If you want an example of the death wish of Western civilisation, I give you the current proposal from members of the British establishment that this country should ban arms sales to Israel.”

Last night, Sir Michael told The Sunday Telegraph: “My own assessment of the legal position, albeit from outside government, is that the UK is in complete compliance with international and domestic law in continuing to supply arms to its democratic ally. There is no evidence of any systemic violations of accepted norms of warfare by Israel.”

Today, the Foreign Office will commit up to £9.7 million to set up a maritime aid corridor to Gaza, including the deployment of a Royal Navy ship.

Lord Cameron, the Foreign Secretary, said in The Observer: “The situation in Gaza is dire and the prospect of famine is real. We remain committed to getting aid to those who so desperately need it.”