The MP for Montgomeryshire and Glyndŵr has led a renewed call for a complete arms embargo on Israel.

On 18 July, 57 parliamentarians including 52 MPs and several Welsh MPs, signed a letter by MP Steve Witherden renewing the call for the UK government to impose a complete arms embargo against Israel.

Ben Lake, Liz Saville-Roberts, Ann Davies, and Llinos Medi were among the Welsh MPs who signed the letter addressed to Foreign Secretary David Lammy MP and Secretary of State for Business and Trade, Jonathan Reynolds MP.

The letter calls for clarity on the government's claims that most licences to Israel were destined for re-export, when data suggests they were intended for direct use in Israel.

A chart showing the value of UK export licences for Military Goods to Israel in 2024, showing a "surge" following the suspension in September 2024. Source: Department of Business and Trade
A chart showing the value of UK export licences for Military Goods to Israel in 2024, showing a "surge" following the suspension in September 2024. Source: Department of Business and Trade (Department of Business and Trade)

The letter states that despite the government’s decision to suspend around 30 licences to Israel in September 2024, a “surge” of individual licences were issued afterwards in October and December 2024 totalling a value of £127.6 million, surpassing the total value of licences granted between 2020-2023 combined.

The letter calls for an explanation of this data, asking why the number of licences increased following the suspension and “why is the UK continuing such co-production with a state that the government has acknowledged is not committed to complying with international humanitarian law?”

It follows Witherden’s adjournment debate on 2 June, which was the first on arms sales to Israel in the Commons since the Israeli attacks on Gaza escalated in October 2023 following a Hamas attack on Israel.

Following the debate, Witherden sent a private letter on 13 June, which has not been responded to.

MP Witherden said regarding the open letter: “Repeated calls for greater transparency from the government have so far gone unanswered.

“The bare minimum we can do is be fully honest about what we are sending to a state involved in the indiscriminate slaughter of civilians.

“The components which create the fighter jets that Israel has used to level Gaza are 15 per cent British-made – we cannot hide from that.

“Without British arms export licenses, these jets could not fly, they could not drop their bombs.

“The government must embargo arms exports to Israel or risk being complicit in genocide.”

A YouGov poll found this month that 55 per cent of the UK public did not support the export of F-35 fighter jet components to Israel, including nearly 70 per cent of those who voted Labour in the July 2024 election.

Only today [22 July], Foreign Secretary Lammy condemned the ongoing violence in Gaza, stating he was “appalled, sickened” by the “grotesque” targeting of starving Palestinians by Israel, claiming that despite criticisms from human rights groups, “[the UK government] has suspended arms sales that can be used in Gaza.

He added: “I’m satisfied that we are not in any way complicit in a breach of international humanitarian law.

“That’s the sober undertaking that I take as foreign secretary.”

The Foreign Secretary and Secretary of State for Business and Trade have been contacted for comment.