Nine people were arrested during a pro-Palestinian protest campaigning for a government ban on arms sales to Israel.
The protest briefly blocked the street outside the foreign ministry, highlighting pressure on the new Labour government over its stance on the Gaza war.
Last week, new Foreign Minister David Lammy said he wants a balanced position on Israel and Gaza. He now claims a blanket ban on arms exports to Israel would not be correct, but he would follow a quasi-judicial process in assessing whether sales of offensive weapons that could be used in Gaza could proceed, reports The Jerusalem Post. When Lammy was still in opposition earlier this year, he said the government should suspend the sale of UK arms if there was a clear risk they might be used in a serious breach of humanitarian law.
London’s Metropolitan Police said protesters arrived outside Britain’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and blocked pedestrian and vehicle access. Police then said the protest could only continue if it left the central arch of the street clear. When protesters failed to comply, they made nine arrests and quickly restored access.
While the previous conservative government was a strong supporter of Israel’s right to defend itself, following the October 7 attack, Reuters found that the value of Britain’s approvals of new arms licenses dropped sharply after the start of the war.
Photo credit: photo credit: REUTERS/HOLLIE ADAMS via The Jerusalem Post
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