Arms Export Licences: Israel
Debate between Zarah Sultana and Florence Eshalomi(4 months, 2 weeks ago)
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Zarah Sultana
Absolutely, and I will go on to talk about the Bill I have presented to the House. This is what the debate is about: getting the Government to commit to ending these arms licences so that we are not complicit in war crimes.
We do track closed export licences, through which we know that the Government have handed arms licences to the Israeli Government worth £474 million since 2015.
Florence Eshalomi (Vauxhall) (Lab/Co-op)
I thank my hon. Friend for securing this powerful debate. She mentioned that the UK Government have closed export licences with Israel. The criteria outlining who can receive arms export licences from the Government include strong wording in relation to violence against women and girls. Does my hon. Friend agree we need to ensure that any arms exported from this country are not used to facilitate unlawful military action?
Zarah Sultana
We have a licensing regime, but there are loopholes that are often exploited, which is what we are seeking to address.