Foreign Minister Israel Katz spoke with his British counterpart David Cameron and conveyed significant Israeli commitments regarding the humanitarian situation in Gaza and the incident of the killing of World Central Kitchen workers by the IDF. In return, Camerontold Katz that Britain will not change its defense export policy.
Cameron stirred controversy last week among Israel's allies, including former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, when he did not rule out an arms embargo against Israel, but now says that he has stopped considering it for the time being. The British Foreign Secretary confirmed this on Tuesday during his visit to Washington with Secretary of State Antony Blinken. "The latest assessment leaves our position on export licenses unchanged. This is consistent with the advice that I and other ministers have received," Cameron told reporters during an appearance with Blinken.
Despite Israeli promises, the British have serious concerns about the issue. Cameron conveyed in messages to Katz that he expects to see the implementation of the promised steps during his visit to Israel next week, together with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock.
The British requests include: expanding the operating hours of the Kerem Shalom crossing, increasing the number of aid trucks entering Gaza daily to 500, providing protective equipment for humanitarian workers, opening the Erez crossing, establishing a humanitarian corridor from Jordan that will include 100 trucks a day, and a de-escalation mechanism to ensure the safety of humanitarian aid workers.
In his talks with Cameron, Katz said that suspending arms exports to Israel at this time would severely affect its leverage against Hamas to reach a hostage deal. Additional British requests include Red Cross or British diplomats' visits for Hamas Nukhba terrorist detainees as well as Palestinian detainees from the West Bank, and examining how Israel distinguishes civilians from terror targets to ensure that this process also complies with international law.
Although British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak supports Israel, pressure has been increasing with Cameron's strong stance and the letter signed by British lawyers and judges, warning of complicity in war crimes. Johnson replied with an article in the British Daily Mail newspaper, accusing the involved parties of giving in to Hamas.