Activists in UK demand full embargo on Israel

Rights activists in the UK say they demand a full permanent military embargo on Israel and not a temporary suspension of arms exports to the Tel Aviv regime, as earlier proposed by British Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg.

Last Thursday, Clegg said the UK government should suspend its arms exports to Israel if the Tel Aviv regime resumes its military attacks on Gaza.

Clegg said Israel’s offensive on the Gaza Strip, which has claimed the lives of more than 1,900 Palestinians, may have breached the criteria under which British arms export licenses were issued.

Following Clegg’s remarks, critics and rights activists denounced his comments, saying the British public demands a full military embargo on Israel.

“I think it is not enough to say that we won’t be selling arms, as long as Israel isn’t bombing Gaza at the moment,” said Andrew Smith from Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT). “We think there has to be a total embargo and there has to be an end to military collaboration which British companies do with the Israeli companies as well.”

Israel launched its recent military offensive on the Gaza Strip on July 8.

During its military attacks on Gaza, the Israeli regime hit three schools that were being used as UN-run shelters for displaced Palestinians, killing and wounding a number of the civilians who had taken refuge against the Israeli attacks.

According to Palestinian health officials, the overall Palestinian death toll from the brutal Israeli war on the Gaza Strip has surpassed 1,915, with most of the fatalities being civilians. Nearly 10,000 others have been wounded in the attacks.

Documents obtained by the Campaign Against Arms Trade under the Freedom of Information Act revealed that arms export licenses worth £42 million have been granted to 130 British defense manufacturers since 2010 to sell military equipment to Israel.

Reports also showed earlier that the Israeli regime has been using weapons containing British-made components in the fatal aggression against the Gaza Strip.