UK Campaign Groups Call for Full Suspension of Arms Exports to Israel
NEWS
UK campaign groups urged the government to suspend all arms exports to Israel, warning that resuming sales would enable genocide and undermine international law.
A coalition of UK civil society organizations has called on the British government to fully suspend all arms exports to Israel, warning against any move to lift the partial suspension currently in place.
In a joint statement issued on Friday, five groups—Campaign Against Arms Trade, Global Justice Now, Global Legal Action Network, the International Centre of Justice for Palestinians, and War on Want—said they were “appalled” by indications that the government may unblock arms export licenses to Israel.
The statement followed remarks by UK Business Secretary Peter Kyle suggesting that arms exports could resume if progress is made toward what he described as a “sustainable peace.”
The groups rejected this position, describing it as “completely divorced from reality,” given Israel’s continued military operations in Gaza and the West Bank.
“The Government’s position was already untenable,” the statement said, noting that the UK had suspended only around 30 out of 350 arms export licenses to Israel—amounting to just 8.6 percent of total licenses.
In September 2024, the UK government announced the partial suspension following a review that found a “clear risk” that British-made weapons could be used to commit or facilitate serious violations of international humanitarian law.
The campaign groups said there has been no meaningful improvement in conditions on the ground since then, arguing that Israel’s actions demonstrate “a total disregard for peace” and constitute a continuation of the genocide of the Palestinian people.
They warned that resuming arms exports would not only fail to hold Israel accountable but would also expose the UK’s “weak commitment to upholding international law.”
“In this context,” the groups said, “the UK should not only refuse to ‘unpause’ the current suspension, but suspend all arms exports to Israel and freeze its existing free trade agreement.”
The call comes amid ongoing Israeli violations of the ceasefire that took effect in October 2025. According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, at least 460 Palestinians have been killed and nearly 1,270 injured since the ceasefire, adding to a death toll exceeding 71,000 since October 2023.
Campaigners said any resumption of arms sales under these conditions would directly implicate the UK in continued Israeli war crimes and undermine its stated commitment to international humanitarian law.
(PC, Anadolu)