Revelation of British weapons' role in Zionist Regime's genocide

A new analysis of trade data shows that British companies have exported thousands of military items, including ammunition, to the Israeli regime, even though the UK government suspended key arms export licenses to the regime in September. 

The investigation also raises questions about whether the UK has sold F-35 fighter jet components directly to the Israeli regime, contrary to its commitment to only supply these parts to the American company Lockheed Martin to maintain the global supply chain for the fighter jet—an arrangement the London government deemed essential for national security and NATO. 

These findings have prompted John McDonnell, former Shadow Chancellor of the Labour Party, to call for a thorough investigation. He added that if it is found that Foreign Secretary David Lammy misled Parliament in September by stating that a significant portion of the data-x-items sent by the UK to the Israeli regime were of a "defensive nature," it should lead to his resignation. 

McDonnell said: "The government has shrouded its arms shipments to Tel Aviv in secrecy. They must provide clarity in response to this deeply concerning evidence and halt all UK arms exports to Israel to ensure that no British-made weapons are used in Netanyahu’s horrific plans for the annexation of Gaza and ethnic cleansing." 

The investigation, jointly conducted by the Palestinian Youth Movement, Progressive International, and Workers for a Free Palestine, utilized import data from the Israeli regime’s tax authority to determine what types of data-x-items were enabled for import by the continued validity of 200 arms export licenses. 

According to The Guardian, the investigation covers the first seven months since the Labour government imposed the export ban, up to March. In September, the Labour government suspended 29 arms export licenses for offensive use in Gaza, but 200 other licenses remained valid. 

London also made an exception for equipment related to the F-35 fighter jet program, stating that national security required the supply chain for these jets to remain uninterrupted. These suspensions were due to the clear risk that the Israeli regime might use these weapons to commit serious violations of international humanitarian law. 

British ministers have repeatedly assured MPs that the remaining arms export licenses do not include data-x-items that the Israeli regime’s military could use in conflicts with the Palestinian people. For example, in September, David Lammy told Parliament that the remaining licenses covered data-x-items such as "goggles and helmets for use by one of Britain’s closest allies." 

The UK Foreign Office has not released details about what the remaining licenses include. However, the new investigation questions whether the distinction between supplying equipment for the Israeli regime’s offensive and military purposes is valid, especially if this distinction has effectively provided a loophole for selling ammunition to the regime. 

According to The Guardian, the UK has no mechanism to monitor how the Israeli regime’s military uses the ammunition it exports. 

The new investigation reveals that since October 2023, 14 shipments of military equipment have been sent from the UK to the Israeli regime, including 13 air shipments to Ben Gurion Airport and one sea shipment to the port of Haifa, which alone contained 160,000 items. 

Since September 2024, 8,630 data-x-items categorized as "bombs, grenades, torpedoes, mines, missiles, and similar munitions of war, their parts, and other items" have been exported to the occupied Palestinian territories. In addition to weapons, four shipments containing 146 data-x-items were exported after September under a customs code identified as "tanks and other motorized armored fighting vehicles, with or without weapons, and their parts." 

Most of these shipments, collectively valued at over £500,000, were sent after the UK government suspended arms export licenses in September. The Israeli regime’s data includes a code number to identify the type of export, details about the country of origin, the value of the items, the month of shipment, and the mode of transport (land or sea). Neither the supplier nor the buyer is specified in this data. 

Regarding the UK’s commitment not to sell F-35 components directly to the Israeli regime, the report shows that the monthly pattern of aircraft parts shipments from the UK to the regime has not changed significantly since September, though the data does not clarify whether these parts are military in nature. 

Zarah Sultana, MP for Coventry South, said: "This whistleblowing report shows that the government has lied to us about the weapons it is sending to the Israeli regime while it commits genocide in Gaza. Contrary to claims of sending 'helmets and goggles,' the London government has sent thousands of weapons and ammunition to the Israeli regime."