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BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityUKEnglandN. IrelandScotlandAlbaWalesCymruIsle of ManGuernseyJerseyLocal NewsArms sales to Israel: Top judges urge UK to halt weapons tradePublished28 minutes agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingRelated TopicsIsrael-Gaza warImage source, ReutersBy Emily Atkinson & Adam DurbinBBC NewsThree former Supreme Court justices have joined more than 600 legal experts in calling for the UK government to end weapons sales to Israel. In a letter to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, they say arms exports must end because the UK risks breaching international law. Mr Sunak is already facing growing cross-party pressure after seven aid workers were killed by Israeli forces.On Tuesday, he said the UK has a “very careful” arms licensing regime.Who were the seven aid workers killed in Gaza? What we know about the aid convoy strikeBritish sales are lower than those of other countries, including Germany and Italy, and dwarfed by the billions supplied by its largest arms supplier, the United States.But a UK ban would add diplomatic and political pressure on Israel, at a time when its conduct in the Gaza conflict is coming under renewed international scrutiny. Former Supreme Court president Lady Hale is among more than 600 lawyers, academics and retired senior judges who have signed a 17-page letter.It says “serious action” is needed to “avoid UK complicity in grave breaches of international law, including potential violations of the Genocide Convention”.It adds that the sale of arms and weapons systems to Israel “falls significantly short” of the government’s obligations under international law and warns of a “plausible risk of genocide” in Gaza.Other signatories include former Supreme Court justices Lord Sumption and Lord Wilson, along with nine other judges and 69 senior barristers.Image source, Reuters/World Central KitchenImage caption, John Chapman, James Kirby and James Henderson were working as security and safety advisorsThe growing calls for the suspension of UK export licences comes after seven aid workers – including three British citizens – were killed in a series of air strikes in Gaza on Monday.Australian, Palestinian, American-Canadian, and Polish nationals were also killed. The group had just unloaded more than 100 tonnes of food aid. Speaking to the Sun newspaper after the incident, Mr Sunak called for an independent investigation, but stopped short of saying arms sales should end.He added that the UK had been “consistently clear” with Israel that it must follow international humanitarian law. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has described the attack as unintended and “tragic”, and promised an independent investigation. It rejects the claim of genocide as “wholly unfounded”.This video can not be playedTo play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.Media caption, Watch: Video shows World Central Kitchen vehicles destroyed in Gaza air strikeThe UK has licenced arms to Israel worth over £574m since 2008, when official country-level data was made available, according to pressure group Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT).Business Minister Greg Hands has previously told MPs the figure for 2022 – £42m – represented 0.02% of Israel’s military imports that year.Arms export licences, which are granted by the business department, cannot be issued if there is a clear risk the weapons could be used in a serious violation of international humanitarian law.The Labour Party has not called for a suspension, but is urging the government to publish internal legal advice on whether Israel is in breach of international law.Shadow foreign secretary David Lammy said there was “precedent” for suspending sales. Former PMs Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair both took the move, in 1982 and 2002 respectively. The SNP is calling for Parliament to be recalled from its current Easter break, ending on 15 April, to debate the issue.Conservative MP Paul Bristow said the idea British-made arms could be used in action that kills innocent civilians in Gaza “turns the stomach,” adding that the deaths of British aid workers “must be a line in the sand”.But his fellow Tory MP and former home secretary Suella Braverman rejected the idea of a ban, telling the BBC “we owe it to Israel to stand with them”.Speaking during a trip to Israel, she said: “I think that it would be a tragic shame if we were to walk away from our closest ally in this region”.Much of the Gaza Strip has been devastated during the Israeli military operations that began after Hamas gunmen attacked southern Israel on 7 October, killing about 1,200 people and seizing 253 hostages.About 130 of the hostages remain in captivity, at least 34 of whom are presumed dead.More than 32,916 people have been killed in Gaza since then, the Hamas-run health ministry says.Related TopicsIsrael-Gaza warRishi SunakMore on this storyCharity boss José Andrés says Israel targeted staff ‘car by car’Published2 days agoCharity halts Gaza work after strike kills staffPublished1 day agoWhat we know about Israeli strike on aid convoyPublished18 hours agoWho were the seven aid workers killed in Gaza?Published1 minute agoTop StoriesTop judges urge UK to stop arms sales to IsraelPublished28 minutes agoIsraeli minister denies convoy strike was deliberatePublished44 minutes agoTaiwan earthquake ‘rained rocks like bullets’, survivor recallsPublished59 minutes agoFeatures‘You see skeletons’ – South Africa’s deadly borderThe Papers: PM’s warning over ECHR and Israel arms ban callsHow might Iran seek to hurt Israel after general’s killing?The unprecedented booing of an Indian cricket starWhat we know about Israeli strike on aid convoySchool shooting brings up tough questions for FinlandParents of murdered stalking victim ‘finally’ feel supportedRussia’s neighbours urge Nato allies to bring back military serviceHow AI is being used to prevent illegal fishingElsewhere on the BBCUnrolling surprising facts about wallpaperJoin Ruth Goodman as she unravels the curious history of this everyday objectAttributionSoundsMind-blowing looks for a career transforming prizeGlow Up is returning with eight aspiring make up artists – here a preview…AttributioniPlayerCould climate change lead to more volcanic eruptions?CrowdScience travels to New Zealand to search for answersAttributionSoundsWhat is a Trad Wife?Poppy and Rubina unpack the internet trend and consider if that lifestyle could be for themAttributionSoundsMost Read1PM’s warning over ECHR and Israel arms ban calls2Super Bowl champion admits role in Texas car crash3’Fake live stream scammers targeted my dad’s funeral’4DWP take woman’s inheritance over supermarket job5Airports could take extra year to lift liquids ban6Israeli minister denies convoy strike was deliberate7Taiwan quake ‘rained rocks like bullets’ – survivor8Mum’s ashes found in brown paper bag, says son9Dramatic drop in logging in key Amazon countries10’I wish our daughter had spoken to this police force’
[ad_1] Lawyers and academics write to the PM saying he risks breaching international law by continuing to allow the exports.
![BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityWorldAfricaAsiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastUS & CanadaHow might Iran seek to hurt Israel after general’s killing?Published43 minutes agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingRelated TopicsIsrael-Gaza warImage source, ReutersImage caption, The airstrike destroyed a consular building (to the right) next to Iran’s embassy in DamascusBy Baran AbbasiBBC PersianIran has vowed to respond to Monday’s air strike on its consulate in Damascus – but what capacity does Iran have to hurt Israel and what form might retaliation take?Thirteen people were killed including Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Zahedi, an important figure in the Quds force, the overseas branch of Iran’s elite Republican Guards. Israel has not said whether it was behind the attack.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had “completely lost his mental balance”, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian was quoted as saying on his ministry’s website. The escalation was designed to show the world that Iran was a “paper tiger”, said Fawaz Gerges, professor of International Relations at London School of Economics. It also represented a significant loss to the Quds force, “which is really for coordination and arms and technology transfers to Hezbollah in Lebanon and Syria”.Hamas’s military wing, the Qassam brigades, has said Brig Gen Zahedi had a “prominent role” in the 7 October Hamas attacks on southern Israel, which sparked the current war in Gaza that is threatening to spread. Iran has denied a role in the attack itself but backs Hamas with funding, weapons and training.However Iran’s options for retaliation for the Damascus strike may be limited in scope and number, Mr Gerges and other experts told the BBC. “Iran is not capable of a big confrontation with Israel given its military capabilities and economic and political situation,” said Ali Sadrzadeh an author and analyst of Middle East affairs. “But it will have to come up with a response for domestic consumption and to protect its reputation among its regional allies.”Mr Gerges also said Iran was unlikely to retaliate directly against Israel, “even though Israel really humiliated Iran and bloodied Iran’s nose”.Instead Iran was likely to exercise “strategic patience” because it will prioritise a more important goal: making a nuclear bomb.”[Iran is] accumulating power, it’s enriching uranium, it’s making progress. And the big prize for Iran is not really to send 50 ballistic missiles and kill 100 Israelis, but to establish strategic deterrence, not only against the Israelis, but even against the US state.”Image source, ReutersImage caption, Hezbollah in Lebanon has been trading fire with Israel since the war in Gaza beganWhat about Hezbollah?Since Israel’s war in Gaza, missile and drone attacks by Iran-backed militia in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and Yemen against Israel interests have escalated but they seem to have limited their actions short of provoking Israel into a full-scale war. “Even an attack against an Israeli diplomatic mission by Iran’s proxy forces seems difficult to imagine,” said Mr Sadrzadeh, although he did predict that current attacks by Iran-backed Houthi militia against ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden are “very likely to continue, especially against vessels that are somehow linked to Israel or the US”. Hezbollah is one of the most heavily armed, non-state military forces in the world – independent estimates suggest the group has between 20,000 and 50,000 fighters, and many are well-trained and battle-hardened through their participation in the Syrian civil war.The Iran-backed Lebanese group has an arsenal of an estimated 130,000 rockets and missiles, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies think-tank.Yet the experts the BBC spoke to thought it unlikely that the group would launch a major escalation against Israel.”Hezbollah does not really want to fall into Israel’s trap because they realise Benjamin Netanyahu and his war cabinet are desperately trying to expand the war,” said Mr Gerges.”The political future of Benjamin Netanyahu depends on the continuation of the war in Gaza and its escalation into northern fronts with Hezbollah and even with Iran itself.”A ‘symbolic’ reaction?Mr Sadrzadeh believes Iran is likely to show a “symbolic” reaction rather than risking a direct war with Israel.”Iran is an expert in carrying out symbolic attacks like the one in response to the killing of its most important military commander Qasem Soleimani,” Sadrzadeh said, referring to a ballistic missile attack by Iran against an Iraqi air base where US troops were stationed – a week after the US assassinated the Iranian general in Baghdad.Despite Iran’s promise of “severe revenge”, no US military personnel stationed at the base were killed, and there were reports that the US military had been warned in advance of the incoming missiles. Image source, Security media cell via EPAImage caption, Top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani was killed by a US airstrike on his vehicle at Baghdad airport in January 2020Yousof Azizi at Virginia Tech’s School of Public & International Affairs believes that there will be a struggle going on behind the scenes in Iran between those who argue that Iran should seek to establish itself as a nuclear power to deter Israeli aggression and more hawkish figures who suggest direct attacks on Israel and its military installations.But he told the BBC that an analysis of state media interviews and key social media accounts suggested the policy of “strategic patience” was likely to prevail.So what other avenues are open to the Iranians?”We cannot rule out that perhaps Iran may use cyberspace as another dimension to take revenge on Israel, either to perform cyber-attacks on information technology, and to cripple, and to steal, and to leak information, or to try to distract at least operational technology,” Tal Pavel of the Israeli Institute for Cyber Policy Studies told the BBC.”We know that during the past decade and a half, there is an ongoing clandestine cyber war between Iran and Israel. So in this case, it may be just another stage,” he said.It will be up to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to decide what action Tehran ultimately takes.Related TopicsIsrael-Gaza warIsraelIranSyriaTop StoriesCharity boss says Israel targeted staff ‘car by car’Published5 hours agoFears for Gazans as aid groups halt work over air strikePublished2 hours agoTaiwan wakes up to aftermath of worst quake in 25 yearsPublished2 hours agoFeaturesHow might Iran seek to hurt Israel after general’s killing?The Papers: PM’s warning over ECHR and Israel arms ban callsWhat we know about Israeli strike on aid convoyParents of murdered stalking victim ‘finally’ feel supportedThe unprecedented booing of an Indian cricket starSchool shooting brings up tough questions for FinlandJeremy Bowen: The Israel-Gaza war is at a crossroadsHow AI is being used to prevent illegal fishingAsian Network presenter ’empowered’ wearing hijabElsewhere on the BBCA deadly bombing campaign rocks DundeeMartin Compston and Laura Fraser star in the tense returning drama, TracesAttributioniPlayerThe opera-loving sisters who ‘stumbled’ into heroismHow did Ida and Louise Cook help dozens of Jews escape Nazi Germany?AttributionSounds’You do feel like you’re invincible’Why are so many young men risking their lives on the UK’s roads?AttributioniPlayerWhat does it take to run the world’s largest company?Apple CEO Tim Cook joins Dua Lipa in a rare podcast appearanceAttributionSoundsMost Read1PM’s warning over ECHR and Israel arms ban calls2Charity boss says Israel targeted staff ‘car by car’3Food price fears as Brexit import charges revealed4DWP take woman’s inheritance over supermarket job5Disney defeats critics after bruising battle6Airports could take extra year to lift liquids ban7’Fake live stream scammers targeted my dad’s funeral’8Mum’s ashes found in brown paper bag, says son9Taiwan wakes up to aftermath of worst quake in 25 years10WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook apps hit by outage](https://newsinsightplus.com/wp-content/uploads/https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/branded_news/239D/production/_133071190_0d2659bd4634e8dbe99870911970de88b8d9c4f90_0_4032_29021000x720.jpg)
