The Government should suspend arms exports to Israel, a former UK national security adviser has said following the deaths of three British citizens in an Israeli strike.
Lord Ricketts argued the Middle Eastern country was “not paying attention” to its obligations under international law after John Chapman, James Henderson and James Kirby were among seven aid workers killed in a strike by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
Rishi Sunak demanded answers from Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday night as he told his Israeli counterpart he was “appalled” by the deaths and described the situation in Gaza as “intolerable”.
In an interview with Politics Hub on Sky News, Lord Ricketts said: “I would like to see at this point the UK decide that they are going to suspend arms export licences to Israel.
“I think there is enough evidence now that Israel is, to put it diplomatically, not paying attention to its international humanitarian law obligations to protect civilians, to protect humanitarian workers and medical workers.
“I think each time there is another of these horrors, they must be getting closer to the point where the Americans start putting some restrictions on their arms.”
Lord Ricketts became the first national security adviser in 2010 when the post was created by Lord Cameron, who is now the Foreign Secretary. He had previously chaired the joint intelligence committee under Sir Tony Blair.
His comments echo concerns raised by Alicia Kearns, the Tory chairman of the Commons foreign affairs committee, who said the strike on the World Central Kitchen vehicles should raise questions about future military collaboration between the UK and Israel.
“A demonstration that Israel is not demonstrating a commitment to international humanitarian law would have implications for our intelligence-sharing, alongside arms sales,” Ms Kearns told The Telegraph.
Ed Davey, the Liberal Democrat leader, has called on the Government to suspend arms sales to Israel following the deaths of seven aid workers, including three British nationals, in an Israeli air strike in Gaza.
Sir Ed said: “The deaths of these British aid workers in Gaza is an absolute disgrace. These brave people were trying to help starving families in Gaza.
“Clearly, the thought that British-made arms could have been used in strikes such as these is completely unacceptable.
“The Government must take swift action to suspend arms exports to Israel. We must redouble our efforts to secure an immediate bilateral ceasefire.”
IDF believes strike was an ‘intelligence failure’
The World Central Kitchen charity had alerted the IDF to the route it was using and its volunteers were travelling in cars marked with its logo on the roof.
The IDF called the strike an “intelligence failure” and Mr Netanyahu insisted it was an “unintended” tragic event of the kind that “happens” in wartime.
Sir Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, condemned the deaths of the aid workers as “outrageous” and “unacceptable” as he repeated his party’s calls for an immediate ceasefire.
Pat McFadden, the shadow minister, told Sky News on Tuesday, in relation to Labour’s stance on selling arms to Israel: “We always want Israel or any ally to abide by international humanitarian law… We don’t have a boycott of selling arms to Israel.”
When asked what would happen if Israel was found to be in breach of international law, Mr McFadden urged the Government to say whether there was “proper legal evidence” if that was the case.
Prominent MPs on the Left of the Labour Party have long called for an embargo on arms sales to Israel, a demand made by some opposition backbenchers before the Oct 7 attacks and the current conflict.
Last month, Lord Cameron was reported to have warned Israeli officials that Britain stood ready to cut off arms supplies unless it let aid into Gaza and stuck to international law.
The conflict between the IDF and Hamas has been taking place for almost six months and was started by the Oct 7 terror attacks in which Hamas killed an estimated 1,200 Israelis.
Israel believes it has now dismantled Hamas’s main command control structure in northern and central Gaza but that pockets of “guerrilla” resistance remain.
According to the Hamas-run Palestinian health ministry, more than 32,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli bombardment of the West Bank.
The terror group’s figures are unverified and do not differentiate between civilians and combatants. Israel has defended its air campaign as a legitimate response to atrocities by Hamas and campaign of attacks on its people.
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