PRIME Minister Keir Starmer has told Benjamin Netanyahu that he is evaluating the block on some weapons exports to Israel, according to the Israeli government.
The UK Prime Minister spoke with his Israeli counterpart on Tuesday afternoon, with a UK Government read-out of the call saying he had offered “personal thanks for the work done by the Israeli government” after a ceasefire was agreed with Hamas. It did not mention any talk of weapons exports.
In September, Labour blocked around 30 of 350 licences for arms exports to Israel over concerns that they would be used to breach international humanitarian law. However, it continued to supply parts for F-35s, a policy which is facing a High Court challenge from human rights groups.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Israeli government said Netanyahu has raised the 30 blocked export licences directly with Keir Starmer.
Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, this afternoon (Tuesday January 21 2025), spoke with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer who thanked him for the release of British citizen Emily Damari and congratulated him on his actions for the release of the other hostages,” it said.
“Prime minister Netanyahu raised the issue of the weapons export licences to Israel that have been frozen in the UK.
“Prime Minister Starmer said that an evaluation of the issue is being carried out.”
The Labour Government described the call by saying Starmer had “offered his personal thanks for the work done by the Israeli government to secure the release of the hostages, including British hostage Emily Damari”.
It went on: “To see the pictures of Emily finally back in her family’s arms was a wonderful moment but a reminder of the human cost of the conflict, he added.
“The leaders moved on to discuss the need to see the next stages of the ceasefire deal implemented in full and on schedule, including the release of the remaining hostages. The Prime Minister reiterated that it was vital to ensure humanitarian aid can now flow uninterrupted into Gaza, to support the Palestinians who desperately need it.
“Both agreed that we must work towards a permanent and peaceful solution that guarantees Israel’s security and stability. The Prime Minister added that the UK stands ready to do everything it can to support a political process, which should also lead to a viable and sovereign Palestinian state.
“They agreed to continue their close co-operation on defence and security matters in support of wider stability in the region – particularly in the face of the ongoing threat posed by Iran.”
The call comes on the same day that Israel launched a large military operation in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin. The Palestinian Health Ministry said it had killed at least six people and injured 35.
The offensive came just days into a fragile ceasefire with Hamas in Gaza that is supposed to last for six weeks and see 33 militant-held hostages released in return for hundreds of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.
Netanyahu’s government launched a severe offensive against Gaza following Hamas’s attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023, which saw some 1200 people killed and 250 taken hostage.
The Israeli siege of Gaza which followed has seen more than 46,000 people killed – including 18,000 children – and most of the strip’s 2.1 million people displaced.
The Israeli government’s response has been assessed as “genocide” by experts including the charity Amnesty International and the UN special rapporteur for the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Francesca Albanese.
An arrest warrant was issued for Netanyahu by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in November last year, and the UK Government has indicated it will uphold its obligations to the court and arrest the Israeli leader should he set foot on UK soil.
However, the Labour Government has been continuing close relations with Israel, with both Foreign Secretary David Lammy and Development Minister Anneliese Dodds visiting the nation in the past two months.
