The Government this week announced the lifting of a review on arms exports licences to Israel, after concluding in its report that criteria imposed last year had been met.
Following last summer’s Operation Protective Edge conflict in Gaza, then-Business Secretary Vince Cable warned that the Government would suspend 12 arms export licences to Israel if the conflict continued.
This week’s report by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, stated that “as a result of the most recent review this additional measure has now been lifted and the government is confident that all export licences in circulation for Israel meet these criteria”.
It added: “The government continues to monitor conflict and tension around the world. It retains the power to suspend export licensing where the security conditions in the export destination deteriorate to the extent that is impossible or extremely difficult to apply standard export licensing procedures”.
Rt. Hon. Sajid Javid MP was appointed as Business Secretary following the Conservative election victory in May, replacing Liberal Democrat Vince Cable.
