Jewish Leadership Council responds to restriction of arms exports to Israel

Today’s decision to restrict the export of arms to Israel is deeply disappointing. Today, when the bodies of the six murdered hostages are still being buried, it is more important than ever for the UK to stand by its ally Israel. No one should forget the reason Israel is currently at war. 332 days ago, Hamas terrorists invaded Israel to murder, maim, torture, rape, and kidnap. On that day, Israeli civilians waited for the IDF to rescue them from this ordeal. In the 11 months since then, Israel has faced continued threats on its borders as Hamas continues to threaten from Gaza while Hizballah struck from Lebanon and the Houthis sought to expand the conflict further from Yemen.

In April, Iran itself joined its proxies when it launched a major offensive against Israel. We were proud to see British jets in the sky that day protecting Israel against this assault. However, Israel’s day to day defence against these terrorist actors cannot solely rely on such interventions. This is not the time to be taking action which will limit Israel’s ability to defend itself.

Iran and its proxies are not just a threat to Israel but a threat to us all in the democratic West. This decision will embolden those who wish to see the alliance of Western democratic nations shattered. We are particularly concerned that this step could place in jeopardy the long-standing defence and intelligence partnership between the UK and Israel, which is key to the UK's own security.

Next month we will mark one year since the heinous events which triggered this conflict. While we welcome meaningful efforts to bring about a return of the remaining hostages, Israel must have the means to defend itself against the level of threat which will continue to exist.