Today, a groundbreaking new report reveals for the first time the extraordinary scale of UK arms exports to Israel. Using new data from the Israel Tax Authority (ITA), the report concludes that the UK government appears to have "misled Parliament and the public about arms shipments to Israel."
The joint report by the Progressive International, the Palestinian Youth Movement and Workers for a Free Palestine reveals a wide range of shipments of military goods, munitions of war, arms, and aircraft parts from the UK to Israel since the genocide in Gaza began in October 2023 — including one maritime delivery to Haifa carrying over 160,000 items from the UK to Israel.
David Lammy has stated in the House of Commons that "much of what we send [to Israel] is defensive in nature" such as "helmet[s] or goggles", and "not what we describe routinely as arms". However, the report shows the UK has sent thousands of goods to Israel which are defined as arms and ammunition.
Most shipments occurred after the UK government suspended around 30 arms export licences to Israel in September 2024, with the UK sending 8,630 separate munitions since the suspensions took effect.
The report finds that the pattern of UK-Israel courier shipments of aircraft parts is unchanged despite the official ban on the direct export of components of F-35 jets—the world’s most advanced fighter jets—announced by Keir Starmer in September 2024.
Despite the government’s repeated claim in the House of Commons that the Government has ended this direct supply of F-35 parts, the evidence indicates that they have continued to send direct shipments of components for lethal F-35 jets to Israel after September 2024—and that these shipments are ongoing.
The report finds that based on this evidence, it appears that the government of Keir Starmer have misled Parliament and the public in their statements in the House and that, by the Government’s own admission, this continued direct supply puts Britain at ‘clear risk’ of enabling Israel’s violations of international law.
As Progressive International Council member and former leader of the Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn said, “the government is yet to respond to our call for a full, public inquiry into the UK’s role in Israel’s military assault in Gaza. This shocking report could explain why. When will the UK government come clean about the reality of military cooperation with Israel? The public deserves to know the full scale of the UK’s complicity in crimes against humanity—and we are not going anywhere until we have established the truth.”
In light of the report’s revelations, workers and activists will take to the streets of central London at 18:00 BST on Friday, 9 May, to demand that the UK immediately ends all arms exports to Israel.
We invite you to join us later this week in taking action against the UK’s complicity in Israel’s crimes.
In solidarity,
The Progressive International
