Halting arms exports to Israel is 91裸聊视频渘ot a wise path91裸聊视频 and would only strengthen Hamas, Britain91裸聊视频檚 foreign secretary said Sunday.
Asked whether the U.K. would follow the U.S. in threatening to cut the supply of offensive weapons to Israel if it carried out an attack on the southern Gaza city of Rafah, Foreign Secretary David Cameron said the two countries cannot be compared because unlike the U.S., Britain supplies a very small amount of Israel91裸聊视频檚 weapons.
91裸聊视频淭he U.K. provides less than 1% of Israel91裸聊视频檚 weapons and it91裸聊视频檚 not a state supplier,91裸聊视频 Cameron told the BBC on Sunday. 91裸聊视频淲e have a licensing system and those licences can be closed if it91裸聊视频檚 judged there91裸聊视频檚 a serious risk of a serious international human rights violation.91裸聊视频
U.S. President Joe Biden has said that his government will stop supplying weapons and artillery to Israel if its forces launch an all-out assault on Rafah, the last major Hamas stronghold in Gaza.
Britain91裸聊视频檚 opposition Labour Party and human rights groups argue that the U.K. should follow a similar position and stop the sale of British-made weapons or components in a Rafah offensive.
The U.S. government said Friday that Israel91裸聊视频檚 use of U.S.-provided weapons in Gaza likely violated international humanitarian law. But it added that wartime conditions prevented U.S. officials from determining that for certain in specific airstrikes.
Cameron also said that putting British boots on the ground in Gaza as part of international efforts to deliver aid would be 91裸聊视频渁 risk that we shouldn91裸聊视频檛 take.91裸聊视频
His comments came after reports that U.K. authorities were considering deploying troops to land humanitarian supplies from a temporary pier being built by the U.S. military.
Cameron said that his government91裸聊视频檚 view was that 91裸聊视频渁ctually putting British boots on to the beach was not a good move.91裸聊视频 He said that instead, the aid delivery will likely be carried out by a contractor.
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The Associated Press