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By Andrew MacAskill
LONDON (Reuters) -Britain's decision to suspend some arms sales to Israel was roundly criticised on Tuesday with some British politicians and Jewish groups accusing the Labour government of abandoning Israel, while others said the decision did not go far enough.
The reaction to the government's decision to block 30 of its 350 licences for arms exports underlines the depth of feeling in Britain over Israel's pursuit of Islamist militant group Hamas in the Palestinian territory of Gaza. It also points to Prime Minister Keir Starmer's difficulty in reducing tensions in Britain between pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian groups.
His foreign minister, David Lammy, said the move to limit the licences Britain gives for arms exports to Israel was because there was a risk such equipment might be used to commit serious violations of international humanitarian law.
But Britain's chief rabbi and British Jewish groups said the move would encourage Israel's enemies in the region. Opponents of the Gaza war were equally critical of the move, saying a loophole would allow Britain to continue to supply Israel with parts for F-35 fighter jets.
Simon Diggins, who served in the British army and was a former defence attache in Afghanistan, said the government was trying to send Israel "a modest political message" about the way it sees the way the war in Gaza was being conducted.
"The problem is that it risks annoying everyone and appeases no one, and that is always a problem for a government," he said.
Although Britain is a smaller exporter of arms to Israel than the U.S. and Germany, the decision was seen by some analysts as a sign of Israel's increasing diplomatic isolation.
LIMITED MOVE
Britain said on Monday it would block 30 licences for a range of items including components used in military aircraft, helicopters and drones following a government review that found possible breaches of international humanitarian law by Israel.
Some British politicians and human rights groups said the new restrictions were too limited and the government should enforce a total ban on arms transfers.
The government's decision to approve export licences to sell weapons in Israel has been an emotive issue in Britain since the start of Israel's war on Oct. 7 when, according to Israeli tallies, Hamas fighters killed 1,200 people.
Israel's offensive has levelled much of the enclave of 2.3 million people, and the Gaza health ministry says more than 40,000 Palestinians have been killed. Displaced people are living in dire conditions with a hunger crisis.
Thousands in Britain have taken part in protests for months to call on the government to restrict arms sales to Israel.
Polls show the British public broadly supports ending arms sales to Israel. More than 50% of the public would support the decision and only 13% are opposed, YouGov found at the end of July.
But Britain's decision also risks causing a diplomatic row with Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the British decision was shameful and would embolden Hamas.
British defence minister John Healey said the government had a duty to "tell the hardest truths" to its "closest friends," and stressed it remained committed to supporting Israel if it came under direct attack again.
The U.S. had privately warned Britain against suspending arms sales, amid concerns it could damage attempts to broker a ceasefire, a senior government source told The Times.
White House national security spokesman John Kirby declined to comment specifically on the UK's decision but told reporters that the U.S. continues to support Israel's defence capabilities and has not determined that any humanitarian laws have been violated.
Monday's announcement was seen as the latest toughening of the new British government's position on Israel over the conduct of the Gaza war.
In July, Starmer dropped the previous government's objections to the International Criminal Court prosecutor’s pursuit of an arrest warrant for Netanyahu. Starmer's government has also restarted funding for the main U.N. Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA.
(Reporting by Andrew MacAskill, William Schomberg and Devika Nair; additional reporting by Steve Holland and Susan Heavey in Washington; editing by Elizabeth Piper, William Maclean and Bill Berkrot)
