British Foreign Secretary David Lammy
Ian Forsyth | Getty Images News | Getty Images
LONDON — British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said Monday that Britain would immediately suspend licenses for some arms exports to Israel over concerns they could be used in ways that violate international law.
Rami said 30 of the roughly 350 licenses for arms exports to Israel would be suspended.
“This is not a blanket ban. This is not an arms embargo,” Lamy told lawmakers in the House of Commons.
Lammy said the review found that some export licenses posed a “clear risk” that they could be used “to commit or facilitate serious violations of international humanitarian law”.
Ramy said the suspended export licenses only cover items that could be used in the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
“I leave this house with no doubt that Britain continues to support Israel’s right to self-defense under international law,” Lammy said.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment Monday.
The decision comes amid ongoing protests in Israel aimed at forcing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to secure a hostage deal with Hamas.
Large crowds gathered in major Israeli cities on Sunday, with more than 300,000 people protesting in Tel Aviv, according to a Google Translate update from the Hostage Families Forum, which organized some of the protests.
The ongoing Israel-Hamas war has left Israel increasingly isolated from the international community, which has called for a ceasefire amid concerns about Israel’s military response in Gaza and the harm to Palestinian civilians.
— CNBC’s Ruxandra Iordache contributed to this report.
