Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis slammed the British government’s decision to suspend some of its arms sales to Israel.
The Chief Rabbi posted on X: “It beggars belief that the British government, a close strategic ally of Israel, has announced a partial suspension of arms licenses, at a time when Israel is fighting a war for its very survival on seven fronts forced upon it on the 7th October, and at the very moment when six hostages murdered in cold blood by cruel terrorists were being buried by their families.”
“As Israel faces down the threat of Iran and its proxies, not just to its own people, but to all of us in the democratic west; this announcement feeds the falsehood that Israel is in breach of International Humanitarian Law, when in fact it is going to extraordinary lengths to uphold it. Sadly, this announcement will serve to encourage our shared enemies. It will not help to secure the release of the remaining 101 hostages, nor contribute to the peaceful future we wish and pray for, for all people in the region and beyond,” he added.
“Britain and Israel have so much to gain by standing together against our common enemies for the sake of a safer world. Surely that must be the way forward,” said Rabbi Mirvis.
British Foreign Secretary David Lammy announced that the UK would be suspending some of its arms sales to Israel.
About 30 out of 150 licenses will be affected. “Facing a conflict such as this, it is this government’s legal duty to review Britain’s export licenses,” Lammy said. “This is not a blanket ban, this is not an arms embargo.”
In response, multiple Jewish groups and leaders in the UK have expressed their dismay at the decision by the British government. The Board of Deputies President Phil Rosenberg said that the organization “relayed our deep concern to the Government at the highest levels, about the decision, and its timing today, to institute a partial arms sales suspension against Israel.”
He said that, “The move, made on the day of the funerals of Israeli hostages murdered in cold blood by Hamas, risks sending a dangerous message to Hamas and other adversaries of the UK that they can commit appalling atrocities – condemned by the UK government – and yet still see Israel castigated.”
He added that he hoped “that ongoing engagement between Israel and the UK will see this decision reviewed at the earliest opportunity, and we will continue discussions with both governments to this effect.”
1 comment:
My father, a"h, used to say that while the Germans slit our throats, it was the British holding us down to make it easier for them.
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