|
|
|
|
|
|
Report: UK Slaps Arms Embargo On Israel, Amidst “Grave Concerns”
 |
|
Parallel arms embargo moves by European powers emphasize Israel's growing estrangement from its allies |
LONDON, April 13 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Britain has imposed a de facto arms embargo on Israel for the first time in 20 years, a British daily said Saturday, quoting official sources.
The ban covers military equipment that could be used in Israel's continuing operation in the Palestinian territories, The Guardian said.
The sources insist Britain has not imposed a formal or complete ban and government officials are not willing to say which sales have been blocked, the paper added.
The Guardian said their sources confirmed that equipment that would have been cleared before Israel's offensive against the Palestinians is now being blocked.
A government official, according to the paper, pointed to British guidelines that arms exports would be blocked if they were for "internal repression" or affected "adversely regional stability in any significant way."
The government guidelines also stipulate that arms must not be exported if there was any clear risk "that the intended recipient would use the proposed export aggressively against another country, or to assert by force any territorial claim."
Although Britain is not a major contributor to Israel's armed forces, the government last year approved 12.5 million pounds (20 million euros, 18 million dollars) of military exports to Israel, The Guardian said. It added that the U.K.’s refusals to approve arms exports are more significant politically and diplomatically than militarily.
According to the paper, this included: demolition charges, general purpose machine guns, small arms ammunition, components for small calibre artillery ammunition, and components for air-to-surface missiles, armored fighting vehicles, armored personnel carriers, combat aircraft, helicopters, and tanks.
The Guardian also reported that France has quietly suspended sales of certain arms and that parallel moves by European powers emphasize what the paper described as “Israel's growing estrangement from its allies and make it more dependent than before on U.S. goodwill.”
U.K. Ministers have demanded an explanation from Israel about its use of British equipment in actions against Palestinians in the occupied territories, reported the Guardian.
In addition, the German Defense Minister, Rudolf Scharping, was in London on Thursday it also confirmed reports that his country was refusing export licenses for tank parts and other equipment for Israel. The Israeli newspaper Yediot Aharonot had reported that Germany slapped an embargo on 120 parts necessary to construct of Merkava tanks. Britain formally embargoed arms to Israel following its invasion of Lebanon in 1982.
News agencies reported Friday that British ambassador to Israel, Sherard Cowper-Coles, met with Israeli government officials on the orders of U.K Foreign Secretary Jack Straw and expressed the British government grave concerns over reports of the massacre in the refugee camp of Jenin and asked for details of what had gone on in the camp.
The Israeli army said that hundreds of Palestinians were probably killed or wounded in fighting at Jenin, retracting a statement earlier by its spokesman that hundreds had died.
"The latest deaths from today's (Friday's) suicide bomb in Jerusalem, alongside the deaths of innocents in Jenin Refugee Camp are appalling," Straw said in a press release.
The Foreign Secretary sent his condolences to the families of the victims and urged peaceful means to settle the crisis.
Straw said earlier that he wanted Cowper-Coles "to seek further information about the precise circumstances in which the deaths took place."
A Foreign Office spokesman said that London was also concerned at claims of human rights abuses in the camp.
"We want further information from the Israelis about all of these things," the spokesman said.
|
|
|
|
