Israel: Lebanon
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he plans to make an assessment of Israel's compliance with international humanitarian law in the context of the conflict in Lebanon.
Answered by Mr Hamish Falconer
Following the 2 September suspension, there are currently no existing UK arms licences to Israel for use in Lebanon, apart from exempt F35 components, so there is no legal requirement to assess IHL compliance. This Government is clear that International Humanitarian Law must be upheld, and civilians protected. The UK's robust export licensing criteria state that the Government will not issue export licences if there is a clear risk that the items might be used to commit or facilitate serious violations of International Humanitarian Law. Exports to the F-35 programme are exempted from this suspension. This is due to the F-35 programme's broader strategic role in NATO and wider implications for international peace and security. This exemption should not in principle apply to licences for F-35 components which could be identified as going to Israel.
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