British premier rules out stopping Israel from using F-35 fighter jets

BIRMINGHAM, England

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer rejected calls for imposing further restrictions on arms sales to Israel, saying that his country is complying with international law.

In a parliamentary session on Wednesday, Scottish National Party lawmaker Brendan O'Hara said “dropping 2,000 pounds (907 kilograms) bombs on densely populated civilian areas is a crime and it is beyond dispute that Israel has used F-35 to do exactly that.”

“Yet the government has chosen to exempt F-35 components from the arms license suspension when all it had to do was say that Israel could not be the end user if UK-manufactured parts were included. The Prime Minister stood at that dispatch box and said, ‘We either comply with international law or we do not’. Why has he chosen not to?”

In response to O’Hara’s question, Starmer insisted that his government is “complying” with international law.

“We've set out our reasoning, and I think all fair-minded members of the House would support the decision that we've taken. The most important thing now is that we get a cease-fire in place,” Starmer said.

Starmer said he will discuss the issue with US President Joe Biden on Friday.

The premier said his government will continue trying “to ensure that the remaining hostages can come out, aid that's desperately needed can go in and can start a process to a two-state solution, which is the only way to lasting peace.”

On Sept. 2, the British government announced that it was suspending 30 out of 350 arms export licenses to Israel after a review, warning there is a clear risk that certain UK arms exports to Israel might be used to commit or facilitate a serious violation of international humanitarian law.

The 30 licenses cover components for military aircraft, helicopters, drones, and items that facilitate ground targeting, excluding UK components for the F-35 fighter jet program.