Britain expected to halt arms sales to Israel

Top line:

Israel is prepared for Britain to stop its arms sales in the next few days

What do we know?

• It is reported that British arms sales to Israel could be suspended within days
• Officials in Jerusalem prepare for Labour government announcement
• Such a move would be a significant turning point in British-Israeli relations.

According to reports, Britain may halt some arms exports to Israel as early as Tuesday as the conflict in the region continues.

On Friday, Labour dropped the previous Tory government’s plan to challenge the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) request for an arrest warrant against Benjamin Netanyahu.

A spokeswoman for 10 Downing Street confirmed that the government would not object to this significant change in relations between Britain and Israel.

It is now believed that a suspension of some British arms sales to Israel is imminent. The Telegraph According to reports, there could be developments as early as Tuesday.

Two Israeli sources said Israel was prepared to announce a suspension in the coming days, but the two allies were currently in intensive talks.

The extent of the arms restrictions is still unclear, but a change in policy would represent a significant rupture in relations between Britain and Israel.

However, Sir Keir Starmer’s government could still change course as tensions in the region remain high following the deaths of 12 Israeli children in a Hezbollah attack on Saturday.

Hezbollah has denied any responsibility for the attack, raising fears that fighting in the Middle East could escalate.

When asked about the possibility of an escalation of the conflict, Cabinet Minister Pat McFadden said: Sky News: “I think this is very serious. Since October 7 last year, we have all been focused on the situation in the Gaza Strip between Israel and Hamas.

“We know that there is a different situation between Hezbollah and Israel in northern Israel, and this could develop into a much more serious situation than the one we have seen in Gaza over the past ten months.”

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