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Louise Thomas
Editor
Boris Johnson has accused Sir Keir Starmer of abandoning Israel after the government suspended some arms export licences to the country.
The former prime minister questioned Sir Keir and foreign secretary David Lammy’s decision to suspend dozens of licences, asking “Do they want Hamas to win?”
Writing on X on Tuesday, Mr Johnson said: “Hamas is still holding many innocent Jewish hostages while Israel tries to prevent a repeat of the October 7 massacre.
“Why are Lammy and Starmer abandoning Israel? Do they want Hamas to win?”
And, in a major deterioration of relations between the UK and Israel, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned Sir Keir and Mr Lammy’s decision.
He said: “This shameful decision will not change Israel’s determination to defeat Hamas, a genocidal terrorist organization that savagely murdered 1200 people on October 7, including 14 British citizens.”
Mr Netanyahu added: “Just as Britain’s heroic stand against the Nazis is seen today as having been vital in defending our common civilization, so too will history judge Israel’s stand against Hamas and Iran’s axis of terror.”
Britain is suspending around 30 of its 350 arms export licences to Israel amid a “clear risk” they could be used to breach international humanitarian law relating to the treatment of Palestinian detainees and the supply of aid to Gaza.
The condemnation also became a Tory leadership issue with former foreign secretary James Cleverly and former security minister Tom Tugendhat wading in with furious responses.
Mr Cleverly tweeted: “The foreign secretary has damaged two of our most important relationships at a crucial time – and it won’t have the impact he wants.”
Answering questions at his leadership launch, a visibly angry Mr Tugendhat said: “First off let us be clear what the Labour government has done. On the day that the Israeli goernnmentdiscovered the bodies of more hostages, on the day they had to share that news of grief and trauma with families, on the very day that we saw the real crimes of Hamas and the evil extremist violence they brought not just to Israel but also the Palestinian people.
“On that day the British government decided that it ws the right day to stand against Israel’s right to defend itself.
“That is remarkable. And it will be a decision that has been heard not just in Washington and Tel Aviv but around the world. If we are not willing to stand by our allies when they are literally discovering the bodies of their murdered citizens what is the point of an alliance?”
The Independent has also learnt that there is anger among the Tories that they sneaked out the early preview of the statement just 40 minites before Mr Lammy’s statement when they knew that shadow foreign secretary Andrew Mitchell was involved in an urgent question on Ukraine. It meant that Mitchell was unable to see the statement or memorandum before Mr Lammy spoke and unable to respond properly until after the statement when he also tweeted his disgust.
Foreign secretary Mr Lammy told the House of Commons that a review conducted by the UK government could not “arbitrate on whether or not Israel has breached international humanitarian law” in Gaza, but ministers have a legal duty to review export licences.
He said Israel had a right to defend itself but he said that he was not satisfied with answers after he had raised concerns with the Israeli government.
On top of Mr Johnson’s criticism of the move, Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis said the UK’s decision “beggars belief at a time when Israel is fighting a war for its very survival on seven fronts forced upon it on October 7”.
He added: “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.”
Defence secretary John Healey insisted Israel’s security will not be weakened by the move.
He told Times Radio on Tuesday: “It will not have a material impact on Israel’s security.”
Mr Healey said he informed his Israeli counterpart, Yoav Gallant, about the suspension before it was announced.
“As I said to the defence minister Yoav Gallant yesterday when I spoke to him before the announcement, we have a duty to follow the law, but this does not alter our unshakable commitment to support Israel’s right to self-defence and to the defence of Israel if it comes under direct attack again, just as UK jets back in April helped intercept Iranian drones and missiles that were targeted directly at Israeli civilians.”
Mr Healey said Mr Gallant “found the call unwelcome”, adding: “That’s not surprising, but sometimes your closest friends are the ones that need to tell the hardest truths.”
Many Labour MPs called on the government to go further and suspend all arms exports to Israel.
Left-winger Beth Winter said MPs “must maintain pressure until the UK stops all arms sales to Israel”, citing the crucial exemption for F-35 jets in the ban.
Meanwhile veteran Labour MP Diane Abbott said: “Banning a fraction of arms licences to Israel is a small step forward.
“But the UK should also stop selling parts to Israel for F-35 fighter jets, known as ‘the most lethal’ in the world.”
