Barry Gardiner (Brent North) and Dawn Butler (Brent Central) are among 66 MPs (SNP, Labour, Green and Independent) who have signed Early Day Motion EDM 177 on Arms to Israel.
The motion reads:
That this House notes with deep concern that UK-made military equipment and technology is being used by Israel, including in its most recent bombardment of the occupied Gaza Strip which has resulted in thousands of deaths and injuries; expresses alarm at reports by the UN Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and others of violations of international humanitarian law and human rights law by Israel, including apparently unlawful attacks that may amount to war crimes; further notes that Israel uses military technology and weaponry, including surveillance technology, in the broader repression of Palestinians across Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory; is therefore alarmed by the granting of and continuation of extant UK licences for export to the Israeli military of arms and arms components including for aircrafts, helicopters, drones, missiles, military technology, armoured vehicles, tanks, ammunition, and small arms; reminds the Government that under international and domestic law, the UK is required to prevent the transfer of military equipment where there is a clear or overriding risk that such exports might be used to commit or facilitate a serious violation of international humanitarian law or international human rights law, as affirmed by Articles 6 and 7 of the Arms Trade Treaty, and criteria one and two of the UK’s Strategic Export Licensing Criteria; and therefore calls for the Government to immediately halt all transfers of military equipment and technology, including components, to Israel, and to suspend the issuing of new licences.
5 comments:
Pointless posturing as Britain sells arms to everyone or anyone and not even Starmer would listen to Corbyn supporters.
Re 19 December 2023 at 09:14
Well that's OK then is it? Please carry on killing INOCENT CIVILIANS
No mention of the attacks on 7th October. No mention of Hamas atrocities. No mention of sanctioning Iran. Woke? Mr Gardiner and Ms Butler need to wake up.
Thank goodness Brent still has some MPs with integrity
Dear Anonymous, the Early Day Motion refers to the British Government's own rules abour arms sales. I am assuming there is no dispute about thefact that armaments manufactures in this country supply a very large amount of armamaents to Israel nor that such supply legally has to be subject to a licensing regime applicable to all arms sales. So, in fact, it is not correct to say that the UK sells arms to anyone & everyone (though some of us may say that sometimes it feels like it.)There is a Parliamentary Committee on Arms Control; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Committees_on_Arms_Export_Controls - not that it meets a lot. However, all sales have to go through a licensing process - even though many sales are covered by open licences. Nonetheless, as a basic fact, use in violation of international humanitarian and human rights law involving arms supplied from the UK. constitutes a breach of our own export licensing criteria.Various NGOs have identified such potential breaches. For a recent example https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/uk-based-ngos-demand-british-government-halt-arm-flows-to-israel/3081776. This applicable law is referred to in the Early Day Motionit isa matter of law applicable to matters that arise in this country.I am not sure what "woke" means in this context. I do not seek to be flippant in this most serious of all matters but, as far as I am aware, no-one is suggesting that the UK supplied the arms used by Hamas in violation of international humanitarian and human rights law on October 7th.
Gaynor Lloyd
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