As part of the "reset" in relations between the new UK government and Israel, the arms embargo imposed on Israel has been significantly expanded, the British-Jewish newspaper "The Jewish Chronicle" reports today.
According to the report, in addition to the 30 export licenses for weapon systems previously frozen, some 50 more licenses have been added to the list in recent months. This shift in stance stems from the new government led by Andy Burnham taking office and its new policy regarding Israel.
Middle East Minister Stephen Doughty said, "We have suspended or refused over 80 licences now. The new decisions that we took on September 8 mean there's effectively now a double lock of arms exports.
At that time, UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband announced to Parliament the imposition of future sanctions on goods from the settlements, as well as a tightening of the arms embargo on Israel "to ensure they are not used in Gaza or the West Bank."
"Personally gone through every single license"
Doughty said he had "personally gone through every single licence" to ensure that licensed exports were not being used in weaponry used in Gaza.
He added, "They have to be considered both in relation to the existing conditions that we set in relation to international humanitarian law violations but also now we have to consider the unlawfulness of the occupation. So that's a very significant step forward,"
The British government has significantly toughened its policy over the past month. In a strongly worded speech delivered yesterday, Miliband said, "I want to say to the millions of people in this country and indeed elsewhere who have been moved and outraged by the plight of the Palestinian people: we hear you, you were right,"
He then addressed the Israeli government directly, stating: "When it comes to attempts to destroy the two-state solution, this party and this government say clearly: We will not let you succeed!"
Miliband also announced future sanctions on Israeli settlements, extending beyond goods to include services. Reports indicate that it will take the government between six and nine months to implement these sanctions.
Israel reacted sharply to Miliband’s September announcement, particularly the pledge to tighten the arms embargo. British representatives were expelled from the international headquarters monitoring the Gaza ceasefire in Kiryat Gat; the UK Consulate in Jerusalem, responsible for liaison with the Palestinian Authority, was closed, and its diplomats were expelled. Furthermore, an entry ban was imposed on several senior British figures from the radical left, including former members of the Labor Party.
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on September 29, 2026.
© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd., 2026.