Politicians in Wycombe have greeted the UK’s immediate suspension of some arms sales to Israel with a mixture of approval and condemnation.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy said there was a ‘clear risk’ that UK-supplied weapons might be being used to commit violations of international humanitarian law against Palestinian people in Gaza as he announced the suspension on Monday.
The move means that the government has halted 30 out of 350 arms export licences to the Israel Defense Forces, affecting items including components used in fighter jets, helicopters and drones.
Wycombe’s Labour MP Emma Reynolds suggested that the limited suspension of arms exports showed that the UK government was committed to protecting people in Gaza as they are bombarded by the Israeli military.
Writing on X (formerly Twitter), she said: “I welcome that our new government has suspended 30 arms export licences to Israel today.
“It is right that the government is prioritising innocent civilian lives, calling for an immediate ceasefire, a surge in aid to Gaza and the release of hostages.”
Some 1,200 people were killed, and 251 others were taken hostage when Hamas fighters attacked Israel on October 7.
Since then, more than 40,000 people have been killed in Gaza amid the Israeli assault on the enclave, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry.
The UK’s Labour government said that evidence showing that Israel may be using weapons to violate international humanitarian law broke the terms of its arms export licensing criteria.
However, the government has been accused of failing Israel, including by the Conservative MP Greg Smith, whose Mid Buckinghamshire constituency borders the edge of High Wycombe and includes the villages around the town.
He told the Bucks Free Press: “It is beyond words that as our ally Israel are burying the six hostages brutally murdered by Hamas, the UK Labour Government have abandoned our friends in their fight against terrorism by limiting what was an already tiny flow of arms to Israel. A sad day for our standing in the world.”
But while Smith and others have criticised the arms suspension, others have argued that it does not go far enough, including Wycombe’s Toni Brodelle.
The Liberal Democrat, who stood against Reynolds in the July 4 general election, has served as a member of the House of Lords human rights task group on human rights in the Middle East and specialises in war crimes, especially in relation to Syria and Palestine.
She told the Free Press: “Whilst I welcome the long-overdue announcement that the government will finally suspend 30 arms export licenses to the Israeli military, questions remain over other arms export licences which haven’t yet been suspended.
“The government must also answer the question of why the decision was made solely on the plausible risk of use in Gaza, not the West Bank. Given the recent military escalation in the West Bank, it is absolutely vital that this is factored into the government’s decision-making.”
Wycombe’s former mayor Khalil Ahmed also welcomed the suspension but called for it to go further.
He told the Free Press: “We must acknowledge that this measure is not sufficient given the immense suffering still taking place in Gaza.
“The humanitarian situation demands urgent and decisive action. A complete suspension of arms sales is essential to prevent further escalation and to show solidarity with those affected.”
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