Lammy says it was the right decision
Foreign Secretary David Lammy has defended his decision to suspend some arms exports to Israel and to restore funding to UN aid agency UNRWA, at an event at Labour Party conference in Liverpool this afternoon.
Speaking at an event organised by Labour Together, a Labour Party think-tank, Lammy said that although some had criticised his decision to suspend some arms exports, he stuck by the decision and said that it was important to ensure that this was a moment ‘not to recoil from the rule of law or international humanitarian law’.
Earlier this month, the UK government announced that it was suspending some arms sales to Israel, saying there was a “clear risk” the equipment could be used to commit serious violations of international law.
Lammy announced that the UK would be suspending 30 out of 350 arms export licences to Israel, affecting equipment such as parts for fighter jets, helicopters and drones.
Israel has criticised the decision and said that it has sent ‘the wrong message’.
The Foreign Secretary also reiterated the government’s commitment to the security of Israel and once more called for the release of hostages following Hamas’ horrific terrorist attack on October 7th.
He also said that a two-state solution was the only long lasting solution to peace and condemned settler violence in the West Bank.
The Foreign Secretary also said that the decision to restore funding to UNRWA was the right one. The government announced in July that it would overturn the suspension of UK funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine (UNRWA).
Earlier this year, the Tory government had paused any future funding for UNRWA due to allegations that staff from the aid organisation had been involved in the October 7 Hamas attack which began the latest outbreak of violence in the Middle East.
Catherine Colonna, the French former foreign affairs minister, led an independent review group to assess whether UNRWA was “doing everything within its power to ensure neutrality”.
The review found that UNRWA had “a significant number of mechanisms and procedures to ensure compliance with the humanitarian principle of neutrality”, adding that it “probably” has “a more developed system than other UN organisations and agencies”.
Basit Mahmood is editor of Left Foot Forward
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