Defense exports to Israel approved by the UK government in 2023 totaled just £17 million ($23 million). The UK provides Israel with less than 1% of its imported arms, so that the government decision to suspend approval of 30 out of 350 export licenses to Israel is no major blow to Israel's defense needs although it is a significant diplomatic development.
For the purpose of comparison, the volume of US defense aid between the outbreak of the war in October until June 2024 amounted to $6.5 billion, according to "The Washington Post." Israel's most significant European arms supplier is Germany, which, according to German TV network ARD, exported arms to Israel in 2023 totaling $361.4 million - ten times as much as in 2022.
According to Britain's Secretary of State for Business and Trade Jonathan Reynolds, the UK will restrict exports to Israel of parts for F-16 fighter aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), naval systems, helicopters, and artillery targeting equipment. A source has told "Globes" that in terms of naval systems the UK provides Israel mainly with software licenses, electronic components and communications components, in other words not components that can be seen as a critical blow.
In terms of aviation, the British manufacture parts for F-16 aircraft that if required can be procured from elsewhere. For example, US company General Dynamics provides ammunition and assault capabilities and Israel Aerospace can produce fuel tanks.
The threat from Trump
The big story is what is missing from the British measures, and that is avoiding serious damage to the supply of parts for F-35 aircraft, except if these are ordered directly by Israel. Considering the positions of the Labor government, this is a rather puzzling decision, since defense giant BAE, the world's seventh largest defense company according to "Defense News," is a crucial player in the F-35 project. While the Dutch have spare parts warehouses, BAE produces parts for the production process of the planes of the world's largest company, Lockheed Martin.
Excluding the propulsion systems, BAE is responsible for 13-15% of the production work of each F-35 aircraft, which each cost about $80 million dollars. BAE manufactures, among other things, the structural prognostics and health management system and electronic warfare systems for the F-35.
So why have the British gone out of their way not to cause Israel too much harm? The answer can be seen in a statement last week by Robert O'Brien, an associate of former US President Donald Trump and his last national security adviser. He threatened that if the British Labor government imposed an arms embargo on Israel, then such a step could jeopardize Britain's place in the F-35 project and lead to "A serious rift between the UK and the US, whether it be the Harris or Trump administration."
Regarding the F-35, O'Brien insisted that it is a joint project that will continue to reach Israel, "no matter what Turkey, Britain or any other country wants to do." He even made it clear that a situation in which Britain is removed from the F-35 project because of an unacceptable embargo on Israel is not a situation theat anybody would be happy to see.
Negligible imports
So what has Israel received from the UK in terms of arms imports since the start of the war. According to the Campaign against Arms Trade (CAAT), there have been licenses granted for such items as: military aviation communications equipment $160,700; protected components $210,300; and a range of small and even negligible deals in defense procurement terms for helmets and protective equipment worth $17,200.
According to the figures, the biggest number of export licenses (18) last year was for specific and intriguing components: display systems on pilots' helmets. After that, there were UK export licenses for components for electronic warfare devices, and components for fighter planes and navigation systems. Beyond that, Israel's low total defense imports from Britain in 2023 ($22.3 million), despite the demands arising from the war, illustrates the extent to which Israel has gone to other sources. In 2017 Israel imported $290.5 million in defense equipment from the UK including components for radars, submarines, artillery guidance systems and pilot training systems.
At the same time it should be borne in mid that the UK itself imports defense equipment from Israel. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), between 2019 and 2023, Israel was the third biggest supplier of arms to the UK, representing 2.7% of all Britain's defense imports - well behind the US (69%) and Germany (30%) but ahead of Italy (0.9%). Here too there are not critical amounts involved.
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on September 3, 2024.
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