Pressure has been mounting on the government of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to ban the sale of arms to Israel. On Wednesday, April 3, two days after seven aid workers from the organization World Central Kitchen (including three Britons) were killed in Israeli strikes, more than 600 British legal experts − including three judges of the country's Supreme Court − wrote to Downing Street to warn that continuing to supply arms to Israel was putting the UK in breach of international law.
In their 17-page missive, presented in the form of a legal opinion, the prominent experts − including Lady Brenda Hale, ex-president of the Supreme Court − explain that London has a legal obligation to act in order to avoid a "catastrophic" situation in Gaza, as the International Court of Justice has found that there is a "plausible risk" that Israel's actions against the Palestinians could constitute genocide. Suspending arms sales to the country is therefore deemed one "measure to prevent" genocide.
The signatory lawyers and judges, usually highly reluctant to intervene in public debate, have also called on Downing Street to work actively toward a "permanent" ceasefire in Gaza. They have also advocated for sanctions against "individuals and entities who have made statements inciting genocide against the Palestinians." Finally, they have called for the reinstatement of British donations to UNRWA (the UN agency for Palestinian refugees), which were suspended by London after Israeli allegations that employees of the UN agency participated in the October 7 massacre.
British weapons deliveries to Israel have been nowhere near as large as those supplied by the US. Since 2008, the UK has sold £574 million (around €669 million) to Tel Aviv, according to the arms trade NGO Campaign Against Arms Trade (including £42 million in 2022). A halt to these sales to Israel would nonetheless have powerful symbolic value, as the UK has remained one of Israel's closest allies and has until now always insisted on its "right to defend itself."
The Conservative Sunak has resisted the judges' calls, explaining in an interview with The Sun that the UK was sticking with arms export licenses to Israel that were kept under "careful" review. This stance could be a difficult one to maintain at a time when British emotions have been running high, following the deaths of three of their fellow citizens in Gaza. The national media paid lengthy tribute to John Chapman, James Henderson and James Kirby, three British army veterans who helped the humanitarian organization World Central Kitchen.
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