British lawmakers demand full arms embargo on Israel

Members of ruling Labour Party back parliamentary motion calling on Stamer government to ban all military exports to Israel.

By World Israel News Staff

Dozens of British lawmakers have signed on to a parliamentary motion demanding the Starmer government ban all sales of weapons and military equipment to Israel, despite a pledge by Prime Minister Keir Starmer not to impose a sweeping arms embargo on the Jewish state.

Separately, over 100 British city councillors have petitioned the government to adopt a similar arms embargo.

Earlier this month, a total of 51 Members of Parliament in the 650-member legislature backed a measure, an Early Day Motion proposed by Leeds East MP Richard Burgon, which demands the British government nix the 2030 Roadmap for UK-Israel Bilateral Relations, a sweeping agreement signed in 2023 aimed at deepening cooperation between the two countries with regards to cyber technology, security, health, climate change, to promote increased trade.

The motion, dubbed “UN’s Resolution on Israel’s Illegal Occupation of Palestine and Sanctions,” also calls on Britain to end “all military exports to Israel,” citing a United Nations General Assembly non-binding resolution, and to ban imports from Israeli towns outside of the pre-1967 Green Line.

The UN measure, drafted by the Palestinian Authority mission and passed on September 18^th, called for sanctions on Israel and a global arms embargo.

The EDM submitted to the British Parliament similarly calls on London to “act in support of the UN resolution and ICJ opinion including by ending all military exports to Israel, banning the import of goods from illegal Israeli settlements and revoking the 2030 Roadmap which deepens UK economic, trade and security ties with Israel.”

Twenty-one Labour MPs signed onto the motion, with 30 other MPs including independents and lawmakers from the Scottish Independence Party, the Green Party, the Liberal Democrats, and Plaid Cymru backing the measure.

In addition, last week, 114 Muslim city councillors aligned with the Labour Party signed a petition calling on Starmer to impose an “immediate and complete suspension of arms sales to Israel.”

“In the past few days alone we have seen images of Palestinian children and families burnt alive following Israeli military strikes at Al Aqsa hospital, and the continued shelling of schools used as shelter by displaced civilians,” the petition, drafted by the Labour Muslim Network, reads.

“That is why we have come together, as councillors, as Muslims, and as Labour members, to call on this Labour government to meet our moral obligation by suspending all arms sales to Israel until such a time that international humanitarian law is observed and respected.”

A day before the Early Day Motion was brought before Parliament, Prime Minister Starmer declared that he would not back a comprehensive arms embargo on Israel, calling it the “wrong position.”

“Banning all sales would mean none for defensive purposes.”

“None for defensive purposes on the anniversary of October 7 and days after a huge attack by Iran into Israel would be a wrong position for this government and I will not take it,” Starmer continued.

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