Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis, the Chief Rabbi of Britain, issued a sharp critique on Monday of the British government’s decision to suspend some of its arms sales to Israel.
"It beggars belief that the British government, a close strategic ally of Israel, has announced a partial suspension of arms licenses, at a time when Israel is fighting a war for its very survival on seven fronts forced upon it on the 7th of October, and at the very moment when six hostages murdered in cold blood by cruel terrorists were being buried by their families," Rabbi Mirvis expressed on X.
He emphasized that as Israel confronts the threat posed by Iran and its proxies, not only to its own people but to the broader democratic West, the UK’s announcement undermines Israel's efforts and falsely suggests that Israel is in violation of International Humanitarian Law, despite the country’s "extraordinary lengths to uphold it."
"This announcement will serve to encourage our shared enemies. 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," he continued.
Rabbi Mirvis concluded by urging for continued solidarity between Britain and Israel, stating, "Britain and Israel have so much to gain by standing together against our common enemies for the sake of a safer world. Surely that must be the way forward."
The criticism came shortly after British Foreign Secretary David Lammy announced that the UK would be suspending some of its arms sales to Israel. The decision affects about 30 out of 350 arms sales licenses and comes in the wake of the discovery of six Israeli hostages who were found murdered by Hamas in a tunnel beneath Rafah.
"Facing a conflict such as this, it is this government's legal duty to review Britain's export licenses," Lammy explained. "This is not a blanket ban, this is not an arms embargo."
* Arutz 7 contributed to this article.