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[Global Times reporter Li Ziyu] According to a report by the British newspaper The Guardian on the 6th local time, British civil servants seem to have suspended the processing of arms export license applications to Israel, waiting for the government to complete a large-scale risk review of the issue. British government sources explained that this does not represent a change in British policy, but may just be an administrative procedure.

On August 3rd local time, protesters held a demonstration in London, demanding that the British government stop selling weapons to Israel. Source: The Guardian report

According to reports, exporters who applied for arms export licenses received a message from the UK Department of Business and Trade that their applications had been suspended and were awaiting review. A spokesman for the UK business department said, "There has been no change in the way we handle Israeli (arms) export licenses. We will continue to review applications on a case-by-case basis based on strategic export licensing criteria."

The report added that the risk review of arms sales to Israel has not yet been completed, given allegations of violations of humanitarian law in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. The Guardian said that the risk review task has become more complicated because the heads of relevant departments want to distinguish between weapons sold to Israel for defensive purposes and weapons used to attack Gaza. Government sources said the process takes time because the heads must ensure that any suspension decision is legal and in accordance with the arms export licensing law.

The Guardian mentioned that William Bell, head of Middle East policy at Christian Aid, said, "The only way to ensure that weapons sold to Israel are not used to violate human rights is to issue a black-and-white ban. This is exactly what the new government should be prepared to do. There are no 'ifs' and 'buts'. Frankly speaking, any company that profits from this war should be condemned."

According to previous media reports, the British government is facing increasing pressure on the sale of weapons to Israel, and joint calls from people in various fields may prompt the government to re-examine this policy. According to multiple British media reports on April 4, British legal experts and former Supreme Court judges jointly called on the British government to stop selling weapons to Israel. They believe that due to the risk of genocide in the Gaza Strip, Britain's arms exports may violate international law. In July this year, sources told The Guardian that cabinet ministers were considering banning the sale of "offensive" weapons to Israel, but would not ban the sale of "defensive" weapons that could be used to defend Israel from external attacks.

According to media reports, former British Foreign Secretary Alan Duncan said, "The (British) government's position on exporting weapons to Israel has caused serious concern." He called for an immediate arms embargo and an immediate investigation into whether British weapons were used in the killing of aid workers. Former British National Security Advisor Ricketts also said that there is now a lot of evidence that Israel has not been sufficiently careful to fulfill its obligations in terms of civilian safety. One of the conditions of the arms export license is that countries that receive weapons from the UK must comply with international humanitarian law.

It is reported that earlier this year, the British High Court rejected a request urging the British government to stop arms sales to Israel. The court also said that the British Department of Commerce needs to consider whether the items sold "clearly" pose a "serious" risk of violating international law standards. In addition, British government officials also responded to relevant questions and said that the decision on whether to continue arms sales to Israel takes into account many factors and the process is not simple.