- Reality bites Archived Message
- Reality bites - Keith-264 October 23, 2023, 1:34 pm
- Re: Reality bites - Dovetail Joint October 23, 2023, 1:45 pm
Posted by Keith-264
on October 23, 2023, 1:34 pm
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https://www.private-eye.co.uk/news Israel, Issue 1609 ALLIES: James Cleverly and Eli Cohen committed to close UK-Israel ties as recently as March IT WAS with some fanfare foreign secretary James Cleverly and his Israeli counterpart Eli Cohen signed the "2030 roadmap for UK-Israel bilateral relations" in London in March. Bringing the two countries closer on trade and security, the UK government also promised to "raise the UK's concerns about the recent spike in violence in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories and the need for all parties to take steps to de-escalate and end the cycle of violence". The "joint vision" both signed emphasised "respect for universal human rights" and promised: "We will cooperate in improving Palestinian livelihoods and Palestinian economic development." Avoiding answers Seven months later, the same UK foreign secretary has repeatedly refused to answer questions about Israeli measures that will undoubtedly breach universal human rights, such as blocking power and water to Gaza, or the instruction to a million Gazans to move south with inevitably appalling consequences. Confronted by Victoria Derbyshire on the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg show with statements from the EU commission and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights that Israel's military and siege responses already break international law, Cleverly played the "I am not a lawyer" card to dodge the question. Lammy time Minutes later, Cleverly's Labour shadow David Lammy was in the chair avoiding the same question about whether Israel's actions breach international law. He had to use the evasion "I am not here as an international lawyer", since he very much is a lawyer. This summer he delivered a key speech at the Bingham Centre for the Rule of Law on "how the next Labour government will enshrine its commitment to the international rule of law", explaining that despite now being a politician he "was and always will be a lawyer first". When it came to international conflicts, he said, "we will work to strengthen protections for humanitarian access, and document and hold to account those responsible for the denial of aid". As with Cleverly's strong words, Lammy's too appear to have melted away when confronted with some very harsh reality. Arms candy GIVEN the scale of UK arms exports to Israel, some of them are almost certainly being used now in Gaza – but the UK government says it doesn't ask how or where they will be used when export licences are granted. Scrutiny of UK arms exports by MPs is carried out via a super-committee comprising the defence, foreign, trade and development committees known as the Committees on Arms Export Controls. Their latest report, released last October, showed concerns about arms sales to Israel, quoting statistics compiled by Campaign Against Arms Trade saying that since May 2015 the UK had licensed more than £442m worth of arms to Israeli forces. Licences covered parts for combat aircraft, grenades, bombs, missiles and armoured vehicles, along with ammunition and small arms. Growing market Israel is not the UK's biggest arms customer; nor is the UK its biggest supplier. But the exports are still significant and growing. MPs said there were "considerable and longstanding concerns over arms exports to Israel especially where they might be used in the Occupied Palestinian Territories" and asked the government to include Israel as a "case study in the next Strategic Export Controls Annual Report" and give details about why licences are granted or refused. The next report is due next July, by which time much of the destruction in Gaza will be complete, so there will be material for a thorough study. No restrictions The MPs also asked the government about "any end-use conditions" imposed on Israel, meaning did it ask Israel to avoid using our exported weapons in any particular way. In January 2023 the government, represented by the "secretaries of state for international trade, defence, foreign, Commonwealth and development affairs", gave a formal response: "Export licences only contain conditions that apply to the exporter, but do not contain any conditions that apply to the end-user about how they might use the goods once exported." Nothing that would damage the lucrative export business, in other words. |
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