London [UK], June 18: Britain's approval of arms export licences to Israel dropped sharply after the start of the war in Gaza, with the value of permits granted for the sale of military equipment to its ally falling by more than 95% to a 13-year low.
The figures, which have not previously been reported, are based on information provided by government officials to Reuters and data from the Department for Business and Trade's Export Control unit.
The United States and Germany increased arms sales to Israel after the start of the war with Hamas.
However, the value of British-approved licences between Oct. 7 and Dec. 31 last year dropped to 859,381 pounds ($1.09 million), government officials told Reuters. That is the lowest figure for the period between Oct. 7 and Dec. 31 since 2010.
This compares with the government approving 20 million pounds of arms sales to Israel for the same period in 2022, including small arms ammunition and components for combat aircraft, according to government data.
In the same period in 2017, the government approved 185 million pounds in arms sales to Israel, including components for tanks and surface-to-air missiles, the data shows, the highest figure for the period in publicly available data going back to 2008.
Unlike the U.S., Britain's government does not give arms directly to Israel but rather issues licences for companies to sell weapons, with input from lawyers on whether they comply with international law.
Many of the licences approved in the period after the start of the war in Gaza were for items listed for "commercial use" or non-lethal items such as body armour, military helmets or all-wheel drive vehicles with ballistic protection.
Reuters could not establish if the fall in the value of approved licences for Israel was because of a decision by Britain to restrict the sale of certain items, or because there was a drop in demand from Israel.
The Department for Business and Trade, which is responsible for approving the export licences, and the Foreign Office declined to comment. Israel's embassy in London did not respond to a request for comment.
Source: Fijian Broadcasting Cooperation