UK has 'not ruled out' to take measures against Israel, says envoy to UN

By Diyar Guldogan

WASHINGTON (AA) - The UK has "not ruled out" implementing further measures against Israel, said the UK’s permanent representative to the UN on Friday.

"When we put the export bans in place, on the 30 (arms export licenses) that we have, I think there's about 350 altogether, that any further measures would be up for consideration," Ambassador Barbara Woodward told the reporters when asked if the UK might extend arms export license suspensions to Israel.

"So, we don't have anything under active consideration, but we certainly haven't ruled it out," she added.

The UK suspended 30 arms export licenses to Israel after a review, Foreign Secretary David Lammy said early September. "This is not a blanket ban, this is not an arms embargo," he said.

In June, the Department for Business and Trade said the UK has issued 108 arms export licenses to Israel since Oct. 7 – when the Gaza conflict began – while over 300 licenses were still active, according to the data prior to Lammy's announcement.

Woodward said the UK has a "very carefully monitored and transparent program" of arms exports to Israel.

When the UK cut 30 items from the program in September, she said Israel responded "quite vociferously" to that cut in arms exports.

"Obviously, further action remains under review, but we don't have an arms embargo at the moment, but we have cut our arms exports to Israel bilaterally," she added.

The humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip is "truly appalling," she said, adding the UK is increasing its funding of aid.

"The provisions we took to suspend arms exports to Israel were part of a larger picture in that so we have increased our humanitarian aid," the ambassador added.

Stressing that Lammy has been speaking to the "very highest levels" of the Israeli authorities about the importance of getting aid into Gaza, Woodward said there are "no more excuses" for not getting aid into Gaza.

"We're taking, I would say, a very robust line on the importance of doing that and then moving to a ceasefire and getting the hostages out and finding the political space," she added.

Unlike the US, the UK does not directly supply Israel with arms but it does grant export licenses for British companies to sell arms to Israel.

Israel has continued its brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip following an attack by the Palestinian group Hamas last Oct. 7, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.

The onslaught has resulted in over 43,200 Palestinian deaths, mostly women and children, and over 101,800 injuries, according to local health authorities.