The British government stated, on Monday, that it will review arms export licenses to Israel, to ensure that the use of such weapons does not contravene international law.Britain reviewed, in August, all arms export licenses to Israel after the recent military assault on Gaza, announcing that it will halt 12 arms export licenses to Israel if military operations in Gaza are resumed.
According to Al Ray, the new reviews come following recent reports of a Palestinian killed by Israeli soldiers, near the border fence, in the Gaza Strip.
A spokesperson for Britain claimed that the August reviews reflect that most licensed exports to Israel do not includes materials used in the Gaza assault.
Furthermore, in July, a British parliamentary committee issued a report stating that the outstanding contracts approved by the government include export of dual-use or military goods to Israel. It estimated the cost of these goods up to 7.8 billion pounds (US $ 12.3 billion), and includes contracts to provide body armor components, unmanned aircraft and missile parts to Israel.
A group called ‘Campaign against the Arms Trade’ recently published an analysis which shows that Britain had approved military licenses to Israel worth 7 million pounds, just six months prior to the war on Gaza.
The government says that it does not cast doubt on the figure.
