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July 14, 2009

Britain Halts 5 Arms Exports to Israel over Gaza Attack
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The British government has suspended five arms export licenses to Israel
following a review of how the Israeli military used British-supplied
equipment during its three-week assault on the Gaza Strip. The licenses
were revoked under British rules banning arms exports that could be used
for “external aggression or internal repression.” The licenses
reportedly involve shipments to the Israeli navy, which has killed
Palestinian civilians in attacks off Gaza’s shores. In a letter to the
Israeli government, the British embassy stressed it is not imposing an
arms embargo on Israel and that the license suspensions resulted greatly
from pressure by lawmakers and human rights groups. Another 177 British
arms-export licenses remain in place. The suspensions mark the first by
a foreign government against Israel over the Gaza attack. The Bush
administration provided the decisive weaponry for the assault on Gaza,
and the Obama administration has refused to take any punitive action.



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