Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has received on restricting the supply of arms to the Israeli government from UK weapons manufacturers; and if he will make a statement.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office receives regular representations on the Government’s policy on UK arms exports to Israel. These representations include Parliamentary questions, Ministerial and public correspondence and engagement with NGOs. This Government supports a responsible defence and security industry that helps meet the legitimate defence needs of other states, and contributes to their security and law and order. We take our arms export responsibilities very seriously and operate one of the most rigorous and transparent arms export control regimes in the world. All defence and dual-use exports are required to meet the UK’s strict export control legislation and adhere to the UK international commitments including international treaties and obligations. Each application for an export licence is subject to rigorous case-by-case assessment against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria. The licences issued for items for Israel are no different. The United Kingdom does not believe that imposing an arms embargo on Israel would promote progress in the Middle East Peace Process. We continue to monitor closely the situation in Israel and Gaza and take into account the latest circumstances when assessing licence applications.