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US at Odds With Britain Over Decision to Halt Arms Shipments to Israel: Reports
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Photo: Reuters/Jane Barlow
US officials are reportedly at odds with their British counterparts over the UK’s decision to suspend some arms export licenses to Israel amid the Jewish state’s ongoing war with the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas.
UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy announced on Monday that the British government had suspended 30 of 350 arms export licenses with Israel, arguing that the equipment could be used to violate international humanitarian law in Gaza, the Palestinian enclave ruled by Hamas
The move has sparked friction between London and Washington, according to reports, with the latter suggesting that the British may have made reaching an end to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war more difficult.
“They assured us they wouldn’t do this,” an unnamed government source told British broadcaster ITV.
American officials feel “let down” by the UK’s announcement, according to Newsweek.
The US was made aware of Britain’s decision prior to the official Monday announcement, The Daily Telegraph reported.
Meanwhile, a senior British government source told The Times that the US had privately warned Britain against suspending arms sales, arguing it could hurt efforts to broker a ceasefire in Gaza.
The UK Foreign Office denied these allegations, claiming that the US has not attempted to encourage Britain to reverse its decision.
“Some ministers also criticized the announcement, with one describing it as an attempt to ‘please all sides’ that had ended up ‘pissing everyone off,’” The Times reported. “Another said the UK should be reviewing arms exports for countries such as Saudi Arabia, warning: ‘Otherwise it just looks like we’re picking out the one Jewish state.’”
US State Department spokesman Matt Miller said on Wednesday that while Washington respects London’s decision to halt weapons shipments to Israel, the US will maintain its commitment to helping the Jewish state defend itself.
“In the same way, we wouldn’t expect the UK to apply a US standard in making their determinations. They have made their determination based on UK law; we will make our determinations based on US law,” Miller told reporters.
Miller denied that the UK’s decision might affect future American arms deals with Israel, saying that the US and Britain are “different countries with different laws, different systems.”
However, Miller noted that the US is currently assessing whether the Jewish state has engaged in violations of international humanitarian law during the Israel-Hamas war.
“We have reviews that are ongoing. I don’t want to prejudge what those reviews will conclude, but we are looking at a number of possible violations of international humanitarian law, and we’ll make our own assessments based on our review of the facts and our own judgments on our laws, as well as international humanitarian law,” Miller said.
Amid backlash, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer defended the weapons halt against Israel as a “legal decision” and not an overall arms blockade.
“This is a difficult issue, I recognize that, but it’s a legal decision, not a policy decision,” Starmer said.
“We will of course stand by Israel’s right to self-defense but it’s important that we are committed to the international rule of law,” he added.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday condemned Britain’s decision as “shameful” but vowed to continue the war against Hamas “with or without British arms.”
“This shameful decision will not change Israel’s determination to defeat Hamas, a genocidal terrorist organization that savagely murdered 1,200 people on October 7, including 14 British citizens,” Netanyahu said in a social media post. “Hamas is still holding over 100 hostages, including 5 British citizens. Instead of standing with Israel, a fellow democracy defending itself against barbarism, Britain’s misguided decision will only embolden Hamas.”
He added, “With or without British arms, Israel will win this war and secure our common future.”
Britain’s chief rabbi also criticized the government’s decision to halt several arms export licenses to the Jewish state.
“It beggars belief that the British government, a close strategic ally of Israel, has announced a partial suspension of arms licences,” Ephraim Mirvis said on X/Twitter.
He said the move would bolster unfounded claims that Israel had violated international humanitarian law.
“Sadly, this announcement will serve to encourage our shared enemies,” Mirvis said. “It will not help to secure the release of the remaining 101 hostages, nor contribute to the peaceful future we wish and pray for, for all people in the region and beyond.”
The post US at Odds With Britain Over Decision to Halt Arms Shipments to Israel: Reports first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Hamas Warns Against Cooperation with US Relief Efforts In Bid to Restore Grip on Gaza

Hamas terrorists carry grenade launchers at the funeral of Marwan Issa, a senior Hamas deputy military commander who was killed in an Israeli airstrike during the conflict between Israel and Hamas, in the central Gaza Strip, Feb. 7, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Ramadan Abed
The Hamas-run Interior Ministry in Gaza has warned residents not to cooperate with the US- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, as the terror group seeks to reassert its grip on the enclave amid mounting international pressure to accept a US-brokered ceasefire.
“It is strictly forbidden to deal with, work for, or provide any form of assistance or cover to the American organization (GHF) or its local or foreign agents,” the Interior Ministry said in a statement Thursday.
“Legal action will be taken against anyone proven to be involved in cooperation with this organization, including the imposition of the maximum penalties stipulated in the applicable national laws,” the statement warns.
The GHF released a statement in response to Hamas’ warnings, saying the organization has delivered millions of meals “safely and without interference.”
“This statement from the Hamas-controlled Interior Ministry confirms what we’ve known all along: Hamas is losing control,” the GHF said.
The GHF began distributing food packages in Gaza in late May, implementing a new aid delivery model aimed at preventing the diversion of supplies by Hamas, as Israel continues its defensive military campaign against the Palestinian terrorist group.
The initiative has drawn criticism from the UN and international organizations, some of which have claimed that Jerusalem is causing starvation in the war-torn enclave.
Israel has vehemently denied such accusations, noting that, until its recently imposed blockade, it had provided significant humanitarian aid in the enclave throughout the war.
Israeli officials have also said much of the aid that flows into Gaza is stolen by Hamas, which uses it for terrorist operations and sells the rest at high prices to Gazan civilians.
According to their reports, the organization has delivered over 56 million meals to Palestinians in just one month.
Hamas’s latest threat comes amid growing international pressure to accept a US-backed ceasefire plan proposed by President Donald Trump, which sets a 60-day timeline to finalize the details leading to a full resolution of the conflict.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump announced that Israel has agreed to the “necessary conditions” to finalize a 60-day ceasefire in Gaza, though Israel has not confirmed this claim.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to meet with Trump next week in Washington, DC — his third visit in less than six months — as they work to finalize the terms of the ceasefire agreement.
Even though Trump hasn’t provided details on the proposed truce, he said Washington would “work with all parties to end the war” during the 60-day period.
“I hope, for the good of the Middle East, that Hamas takes this Deal, because it will not get better — IT WILL ONLY GET WORSE,” he wrote in a social media post.
Since the start of the war, ceasefire talks between Jerusalem and Hamas have repeatedly failed to yield enduring results.
Israeli officials have previously said they will only agree to end the war if Hamas surrenders, disarms, and goes into exile — a demand the terror group has firmly rejected.
“I am telling you — there will be no Hamas,” Netanyahu said during a speech Wednesday.
For its part, Hamas has said it is willing to release the remaining 50 hostages — fewer than half of whom are believed to be alive — in exchange for a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and an end to the war.
While the terrorist group said it is “ready and serious” to reach a deal that would end the war, it has yet to accept this latest proposal.
In a statement, the group said it aims to reach an agreement that “guarantees an end to the aggression, the withdrawal [of Israeli forces], and urgent relief for our people in the Gaza Strip.”
According to media reports, the proposed 60-day ceasefire would include a partial Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, a surge in humanitarian aid, and the release of the remaining hostages held by Hamas, with US and mediator assurances on advancing talks to end the war — though it remains unclear how many hostages would be freed.
For Israel, the key to any deal is the release of most, if not all, hostages still held in Gaza, as well as the disarmament of Hamas, while the terror group is seeking assurances to end the war as it tries to reassert control over the war-torn enclave.
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UK Lawmakers Move to Designate Palestine Action as Terrorist Group Following RAF Vandalism Protest

Police block a street as pro-Palestinian demonstrators gather to protest British Home Secretary Yvette Cooper’s plans to proscribe the “Palestine Action” group in the coming weeks, in London, Britain, June 23, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Jaimi Joy
British lawmakers voted Wednesday to designate Palestine Action as a terrorist organization, following the group’s recent vandalizing of two military aircraft at a Royal Air Force base in protest of the government’s support for Israel.
Last month, members of the UK-based anti-Israel group Palestine Action broke into RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, a county west of London, and vandalized two Voyager aircraft used for military transport and refueling — the latest in a series of destructive acts carried out by the organization.
Palestine Action has regularly targeted British sites connected to Israeli defense firm Elbit Systems as well as other companies in Britain linked to Israel since the start of the conflict in Gaza in 2023.
Under British law, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has the authority to ban an organization if it is believed to commit, promote, or otherwise be involved in acts of terrorism.
Passed overwhelmingly by a vote of 385 to 26 in the lower chamber — the House of Commons — the measure is now set to be reviewed by the upper chamber, the House of Lords, on Thursday.
If approved, the ban would take effect within days, making it a crime to belong to or support Palestine Action and placing the group on the same legal footing as Al Qaeda, Hamas, and the Islamic State under UK law.
Palestine Action, which claims that Britain is an “active participant” in the Gaza conflict due to its military support for Israel, condemned the ban as “an unhinged reaction” and announced plans to challenge it in court — similar to the legal challenges currently being mounted by Hamas.
Under the Terrorism Act 2000, belonging to a proscribed group is a criminal offense punishable by up to 14 years in prison or a fine, while wearing clothing or displaying items supporting such a group can lead to up to six months in prison and/or a fine of up to £5,000.
Palestine Action claimed responsibility for the recent attack, in which two of its activists sprayed red paint into the turbine engines of two Airbus Voyager aircraft and used crowbars to inflict additional damage.
According to the group, the red paint — also sprayed across the runway — was meant to symbolize “Palestinian bloodshed.” A Palestine Liberation Organization flag was also left at the scene.
On Thursday, local authorities arrested four members of the group, aged between 22 and 35, who were charged with conspiracy to enter a prohibited place knowingly for a purpose prejudicial to the safety or interests of the UK, as well as conspiracy to commit criminal damage.
Palestine Action said this latest attack was carried out as a protest against the planes’ role in supporting what the group called Israel’s “genocide” in Gaza.
At the time of the attack, Cooper condemned the group’s actions, stating that their behavior had grown increasingly aggressive and resulted in millions of pounds in damages.
“The disgraceful attack on Brize Norton … is the latest in a long history of unacceptable criminal damage committed by Palestine Action,” Cooper said in a written statement.
“The UK’s defense enterprise is vital to the nation’s national security and this government will not tolerate those that put that security at risk,” she continued.
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