DAVID Lammy has claimed that the UK is not sending weapons to Israel which could be used in Gaza, despite the continued export of F-35 parts.
The Foreign Secretary told Sky News that he was "satisfied" that the UK was not supplying Israel with weapons it uses in Gaza, as he refused to be drawn on whether Israel's actions in the enclave amounted to genocide.
In September last year, the UK Government suspended 30 out of around 350 arms exports licences to Israel.
The UK continues to licence exports of F-35 fighter jet parts, which have been documented being used by Israel in Gaza.
The F-35 programme is an international defence programme which produces and maintains the fighter jets, with the UK contributing components for both assembly lines and an international pool.
At the end of last month, a Palestinian human rights group lost a High Court case which aimed to challenge the Labour Government's continued exports of F-35 parts to Israel.
When asked whether Israel was committing genocide in Gaza, the Foreign Secretary refused to be drawn but instead told Sky News that he "made the assessment that there was a clear risk of a breach of international law, and for that reason we suspended arms sales that could be used in Gaza".
He added: "In the end it will be for the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice to make a determination."
Last year the UK Government suspended 30 licences out of a total of approximately 350, including parts for fighter jets, helicopters and drones as well as ground weapons.
Lammy went on to say: "I am satisfied that we are not sending arms that could be used in Gaza, but we do send other things, for example, kit and equipment that is used by NGOs or journalists."
When it was pointed out to him that the UK was continuing to export F-35 parts, the Foreign Secretary admitted that this was "an exception", but that it was a "small" one.
"We cannot guarantee that there are not parts in the global pool that we buy into that could be used in Gaza," he told Sky News.
"That is the exception. It's a small exception, but I think your listeners will understand when there are other theatres of conflict, particularly here in Europe, that it is important that we don't bring down the whole of the F-35 arsenal across the world."
