UK not banning Israel arms sales, says David Cameron

LONDON — The U.K. will not suspend arms exports to Israel despite "grave concerns" about humanitarian aid in Gaza, Britain's foreign secretary confirmed Tuesday.


Speaking in a joint conference with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken Tuesday, David Cameron said he has reviewed the latest legal advice from his department on whether Israel is breaking humanitarian law in its war against Hamas in Gaza.

Rejecting calls from opposition parties back home to publish that advice, Cameron said the "ultimate judgment" was that the export licenses "will continue" and that the U.K.'s position is "unchanged."


"This is consistent with the advice that I and other ministers have received, and as ever we will keep the position under review," Cameron said. Continuing to allow arms exports puts the U.K. in line with other "like-minded countries."

Cameron — who was in the U.S. as part of efforts to lobby senior Republicans including Donald Trump on aid to Ukraine — made the comments amid pressure to suspend the granting of U.K. licenses for arms exports to Israel.

Calls to end the supply of arms to Israel heightened after aid workers were killed by Israel strikes on Gaza last week. Three British nationals were among the dead.

The foreign secretary, a former British prime minister, has notably hardened his language on Israel's conduct in Gaza, as the humanitarian situation there worsens.

Speaking in the U.S. Tuesday, Cameron said he continues to have concerns about the supply of aid to those in Gaza.

“Let me be clear though, we continue to have grave concerns around the humanitarian access issue in Gaza, both for the period that was assessed and subsequently," Cameron said.