DayofPal– Four senior former British army officers have urged Prime Minister Keir Starmer to impose a full arms embargo on Israel and suspend all involvement with Israel-linked defence firms.
In a letter reported by The Times, the officers warned that despite the Gaza ceasefire, “now is not the time to return to business as usual with the Israeli government” and called for stronger sanctions.
The letter’s signatories include John Deverell, a former defence attache in Saudi Arabia and Yemen; Andrew Graham, ex-director general of the UK Defence Academy; retired Major General Peter Currie; and Charlie Herbert, a former senior commander in Afghanistan.
The former officers strongly challenged claims that Israel’s military operates under protocols similar to the British army, citing Israel’s use of indiscriminate munitions that have caused “exceptionally disproportionate and avoidable civilian fatalities and widespread destruction of civilian infrastructure.”
They confirmed that evidence of Israeli war crimes is “so well documented and compelling that the British government should cut all military collaboration with Israel forthwith, to avoid the charge of complicity.”
They called for specific measures, including the suspension of RAF and contractor aircraft used for Israeli military purposes and a halt to all military technology transfers.
The letter comes amid concerns over ongoing UK arms exports to Israel, which campaigners say surged under the Labour government, surpassing approvals granted during the previous Conservative administration.
Israel has repeatedly violated the Gaza ceasefire agreed in October, with over 400 Palestinians killed since then.
Since the start of the war in October 2023, more than 70,000 Palestinians have been killed, most of them women and children, and at least 171,195 others have been wounded, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.
Shortlink for this post: https://daysofpalestine.ps/?p=70682
