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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.”
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Israel to Send Delegation to Qatar for Gaza Ceasefire Talks
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a news conference in Jerusalem, Sept. 2, 2024. Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg/Pool via REUTERS
Israel has decided to send a delegation to Qatar for talks on a possible Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal, an Israeli official said, reviving hopes of a breakthrough in negotiations to end the almost 21-month war.
Palestinian group Hamas said on Friday it had responded to a US-backed Gaza ceasefire proposal in a “positive spirit,” a few days after US President Donald Trump said Israel had agreed “to the necessary conditions to finalize” a 60-day truce.
The Israeli negotiation delegation will fly to Qatar on Sunday, the Israeli official, who declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter, told Reuters.
But in a sign of the potential challenges still facing the two sides, a Palestinian official from a militant group allied with Hamas said concerns remained over humanitarian aid, passage through the Rafah crossing in southern Israel to Egypt and clarity over a timetable for Israeli troop withdrawals.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is due to meet Trump in Washington on Monday, has yet to comment on Trump’s announcement, and in their public statements Hamas and Israel remain far apart.
Netanyahu has repeatedly said Hamas must be disarmed, a position the terrorist group, which is thought to be holding 20 living hostages, has so far refused to discuss.
Israeli media said on Friday that Israel had received and was reviewing Hamas’ response to the ceasefire proposal.
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Tucker Carlson Says to Air Interview with President of Iran
Tucker Carlson speaks on July 18, 2024 during the final day of the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Photo: Jasper Colt-USA TODAY via Reuters Connect
US conservative talk show host Tucker Carlson said in an online post on Saturday that he had conducted an interview with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, which would air in the next day or two.
Carlson said the interview was conducted remotely through a translator, and would be published as soon as it was edited, which “should be in a day or two.”
Carlson said he had stuck to simple questions in the interview, such as, “What is your goal? Do you seek war with the United States? Do you seek war with Israel?”
“There are all kinds of questions that I didn’t ask the president of Iran, particularly questions to which I knew I could get an not get an honest answer, such as, ‘was your nuclear program totally disabled by the bombing campaign by the US government a week and a half ago?’” he said.
Carlson also said he had made a third request in the past several months to interview Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who will be visiting Washington next week for talks with US President Donald Trump.
Trump said on Friday he would discuss Iran with Netanyahu at the White House on Monday.
Trump said he believed Tehran’s nuclear program had been set back permanently by recent US strikes that followed Israel’s attacks on the country last month, although Iran could restart it at a different location.
Trump also said Iran had not agreed to inspections of its nuclear program or to give up enriching uranium. He said he would not allow Tehran to resume its nuclear program, adding that Iran did want to meet with him.
Pezeshkian said last month Iran does not intend to develop nuclear weapons but will pursue its right to nuclear energy and research.
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Hostage Families Reject Partial Gaza Seal, Demand Release of All Hostages
Demonstrators hold signs and pictures of hostages, as relatives and supporters of Israeli hostages kidnapped during the Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Hamas protest demanding the release of all hostages in Tel Aviv, Israel, Feb. 13, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Itai Ron
i24 News – As Israeli leaders weigh the contours of a possible partial ceasefire deal with Hamas, the families of the 50 hostages still held in Gaza issued an impassioned public statement this weekend, condemning any agreement that would return only some of the abductees.
In a powerful message released Saturday, the Families Forum for the Return of Hostages denounced what they call the “beating system” and “cruel selection process,” which, they say, has left families trapped in unbearable uncertainty for 638 days—not knowing whether to hope for reunion or prepare for mourning.
The group warned that a phased or selective deal—rumored to be under discussion—would deepen their suffering and perpetuate injustice. Among the 50 hostages, 22 are believed to be alive, and 28 are presumed dead.
“Every family deserves answers and closure,” the Forum said. “Whether it is a return to embrace or a grave to mourn over—each is sacred.”
They accused the Israeli government of allowing political considerations to prevent a full agreement that could have brought all hostages—living and fallen—home long ago. “It is forbidden to conform to the dictates of Schindler-style lists,” the statement read, invoking a painful historical parallel.
“All of the abductees could have returned for rehabilitation or burial months ago, had the government chosen to act with courage.”
The call for a comprehensive deal comes just as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prepares for high-stakes talks in Washington and as indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas are expected to resume in Doha within the next 24 hours, according to regional media reports.
Hamas, for its part, issued a statement Friday confirming its readiness to begin immediate negotiations on the implementation of a ceasefire and hostage release framework.
The Forum emphasized that every day in captivity poses a mortal risk to the living hostages, and for the deceased, a danger of being lost forever. “The horror of selection does not spare any of us,” the statement said. “Enough with the separation and categories that deepen the pain of the families.”
In a planned public address near Begin Gate in Tel Aviv, families are gathering Saturday evening to demand that the Israeli government accept a full-release deal—what they describe as the only “moral and Zionist” path forward.
“We will return. We will avenge,” the Forum concluded. “This is the time to complete the mission.”
As of now, the Israeli government has not formally responded to Hamas’s latest statement.
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