Story so far.

As Israel continues its genocidal war on the Palestinian people, join FOA’s #StopArmingIsrael campaign and demand that the UK government immediately cease all arms exports to Israel.

Israel uses arms and military parts that are built in Britain to bomb and kill Palestinians, as well as to enforce its system of apartheid in the West Bank through surveillance technology. Although the UK suspended 30 export licences in September 2014, 320 were allowed to continue, including parts for the F-35 aircraft, of which 15% of components are built in the UK.

The UK government’s own lawyers’ advice is reported to have stated that Israel has breached international humanitarian law in Gaza and, in a statement on which he has now backtracked, Foreign Minister David Lammy agreed that Israel’s decision to halt the supply of aid to Gaza violated international law.

Despite the mounting evidence and mounting domestic and global condemnation for Israel’s crimes, successive UK government have failed to take meaningful action. The UK continues to provide Israel with military support, through arms and intelligence sharing, and diplomatic cover, making it an active participant in the ongoing genocide.

FOA calls on the UK government to urgently make legal advice public and immediately cease all arms exports.

The story so far

Israel has once again intensified its war on the Palestinian people. Since 7 October 2023, over 61,000 people have been killed, with the real number likely to be several times higher. The UN Human Rights Council, International Court of Justice (ICJ), as well as human rights organisations, such as Amnesty International, have suggested that there is evidence that Israel’s actions amount to genocide.

In this context, any UK company wanting to export military or dual use goods (that could have military or civilian use) to Israel (or any other nation) must have a UK government licence to do so. To abide with international law, the UK’s export criteria state that arms shipments must be stopped when there is a “clear risk of violating international humanitarian law.”

The government is already on notice of the risk that its arms may be used in Gaza. It has even previously admitted that UK arms components were used in the 2008-2009 violence in Gaz and said, in 2014, that they would be forced to suspend licences if hostilities continued.

In 2023, the government issued 114 standard individual export licences to Israel, valued at £18 million, and 108 further licences between 7 October 2023 and 31 May 2024. These however, do not include parts that are exported elsewhere and eventually end up in Israel (for example through the US).

Since suspending only 30 licenses in September 2024, no meaningful action has been taken to suspend arms exports to Israel and the government has explicitly ruled out the possibility of an arms embargo. This is despite mounting evidence of war crimes, genocidal intent and Israel’s refusal to negotiate for a peaceful solution to the conflict.

To date (March 2025), Israel has killed at least 61,700 in the Gaza Strip, including over 17,000 children, with another 111,000 injured and 14,000 missing and presumed dead. The level of destruction of civilian infrastructure inflicted by Israel over the past one and a half years has made monitoring impossible and the real number is likely to be several times higher.

In the West Bank, Israel has also launched its most intense military operations for decades and proceeding on a campaign of ethnic cleansing and occupation. At least 905 have been killed, including 181 children, and over 40,000 displaced.

The UK government has repeatedly ignored advice from its own lawyers and international organisations and continues to support Israel militarily. As early as November 2023, the UN Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner said: “We are profoundly concerned about the support of certain governments for Israel’s strategy of warfare against the besieged population of Gaza and the failure of the international system to mobilise to prevent genocide.”

In December 2023, several MPs raised urgent concerns about UK arms exports to Israel and urged the then Conservative government to immediately halt arms exports. They however, stated that a legal review found no reason to halt existing and pending licences.

By January 2024, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) deemed that Israel’s action could amount to ‘plausible genocide’ and issued interim measures designed to hold Israel to account in accordance with its obligations under the Genocide Convention. However, the UK government once again failed to cease all arms exports.

On 25th March 2024, The UN Security Council adopted a resolution demanding a ceasefire in Gaza during Ramadan and leading to a lasting sustainable ceasefire.

On 28 March 2024, the ICJ issued an urgent ruling in response to South Africa’s request for additional measures. The ruling noted the worsening conditions in Gaza, ‘in particular the spread of famine and starvation’. The UN has described the famine as an entirely man-made disaster and another clear breach of international humanitarian law.

On 30th March 2024, the Conservative chair of the House of Commons Select Committee on Foreign Affairs said: “The Foreign Office has received official legal advice that Israel has broken international humanitarian law but the government has not announced it. They have not said it, they haven’t stopped arms exports.”

The Conservative government took no action and, since coming to power in July 2024, Labour only made a symbolic gesture to appease mounting public pressure.

Now that Israel has once again shown that it is not serious about making peace, what will it take for the UK government to impose a complete arms embargo?

Contact your MP using the links above to urge them to take action and to #StopArmingIsrael.