LONDON, Jan 14 – Amnesty International UK urged the British government on Tuesday not to “reward” Israel by unblocking arms export licences amid Israel’s genocide in the Gaza Strip, Anadolu Ajansi reported.
The rights group said the UK government signalling it may unblock arms sales to Israel is “deeply troubling.”
“Let’s not be fooled by talk of ‘ceasefires’ or ‘peace’. Israel’s genocide in Gaza has not stopped. Killings have continued,” it said in a statement, adding that the illegal blockade remains, as does the system of apartheid.
The remarks followed comments by Business Secretary Peter Kyle during an interview with The Jewish Chronicle published on Monday.
During the interview, which took place at Sunday’s Jewish Labour Movement annual conference in London, Kyle said paused UK arms export licences to Israel could be “unblocked” after Phase Two of the ceasefire deal is concluded.
He committed to revisiting UK–Israel trade talks and paused arms export licences after seeing what he described as “progress with peace.”
In September 2024, the British government announced it was suspending 30 of 350 arms export licences to Israel following a review that found a “clear risk” that some exports could be used to commit or facilitate serious violations of international humanitarian law.
Last May, then British foreign secretary David Lammy suspended negotiations with Israel on a new free trade deal.
Amnesty UK recalled that the UK never fully banned arms sales in the first place and said reports indicated that parts for F-35 fighter jets continued to be supplied, which it said were used in Israel’s ongoing genocide against Palestinians.
The group said attributing the potential lifting of the suspension to trade considerations rather than obligations under international law and rulings by the International Court of Justice is “highly problematic yet painfully telling about this government’s real priorities.”
“These decisions should be grounded in human rights and legal responsibilities, not political manoeuvring. The UK must not reward Israel as it deepens its illegal occupation and apartheid policies,” Amnesty International UK said.
The Israeli army has killed more than 71,000 people, most of them women and children, and injured over 171,000 others in a brutal offensive since October 2023 that has left Gaza in ruins.
Despite a ceasefire that began on Oct. 10, Israel has continued its attacks, killing 447 Palestinians and wounding 1,246 others, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health.
