Background info

The UK government continues to approve arms sales to Israel, in defiance of its own export guidelines, while its imports of Israel's 'combat-proven' military hardware help Israel benefit from unlawful practices.

UK government rules are supposed to prevent arms sales if…

• use would be inconsistent with the UK’s obligations under the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty;
• there is a clear risk that the proposed export might be used for internal repression;
• there is a clear risk that the items might be used in the commission of a serious violation of international humanitarian law;
• the exports would provoke or prolong armed conflicts or aggravate existing tensions or conflicts in the country of final destination;
• there is a risk that the intended recipient would use the proposed export aggressively against another country, or to assert by force a territorial claim;

Such actions and violations are at the core of Israel’s military occupation regime. That means that if the government’s own export guidelines were properly applied, the result would be a de facto embargo on arms exports to Israel.

At the same time, the UK imports Israeli military hardware and components and also provides training, in the UK, for Israeli military personnel.

Israeli military and industry sources openly attribute the success of Israeli exports to the weapons and technologies being ‘combat proven.’

This means that when the UK imports Israeli arms, it is helping Israel benefit from unlawful practices.

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