LONDON

Rebuffing reports that the UK had imposed a "secret arms embargo" on Israel amid its ongoing offensive in Gaza, the British government said Monday there has been "no change" in its approach on arms export licenses to Israel.

"There has been no change to our approach to export licenses to Israel. We continue to review export license applications on a case-by-case basis against the Strategic Export Licensing Criteria," a government spokesperson told Anadolu.

The official added: "We are reviewing the advice regarding exports to Israel, and no decision has been made."

Claim of 'secret arms embargo' on Israel

Foreign Minister David Lammy said they will conduct an extensive review of the review process regarding the compliance of arms sales to Israel with international law and will inform parliament when the process is completed.

Last week, Britain’s Daily Mail newspaper reported that the new Labour Party government had imposed a "secret arms boycott" on Israel and that civil servants had frozen applications for new arms export licenses.

The article also said the government is expected to postpone its plan to ban arms export licenses to Israel for war crimes till summer's end.

No halt in export licenses to Israel despite risk of violating international law

Amid warnings that Israel is committing war crimes, the UK's failure to terminate export licenses to companies that sell arms to this country is drawing a backlash both in Britain and abroad.

Human rights groups and independent institutions in the country criticize the UK for being "complicit in Israel's war crimes" for not stopping arms sales to Israel, as Tel Aviv is violating international humanitarian law in Gaza, according to many international institutions and observers.

According to UK Department for Business and Trade data, over 100 export licenses have been approved for the sale of arms, military equipment, and other controlled goods to Israel since last Oct. 7, when Israel launched its 10-month offensive on Gaza, which has so far taken some 40,000 lives.

As of this May, the number of existing export licenses for arms and military equipment "with Israel as the destination" stood at 345.

Flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire, Israel has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Hamas.

Almost 10 months into the Israeli war, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which ordered it to immediately halt its military operation in the southern city of Rafah, where more than 1 million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.

*Writing by Serdar Dincel in Istanbul