Robert O’Brien, who served as the last National Security Advisor under Donald Trump in the White House, warned that the UK’s Labour Party risks a serious rupture in UK-US relations if it decides to ban arms sales to Israel. This was reported by the British Guardian yesterday (Thursday).
Earlier this week, the Guardian reported that the UK is considering restricting the export of offensive weapons to Israel, while still allowing the sale of defensive arms. The process is delayed due to the difficulty in determining what constitutes “offensive” versus “defensive” weapons. The review process was ordered by Foreign Secretary David Lammy, in coordination with Prime Minister Keir Starmer. A source familiar with the process stated, “International law is ambiguous, but it says we need to show that we’ve considered every option. That’s why the main obstacle here is legal, not diplomatic.”
In response to these developments, Robert O’Brien, one of the prominent security voices in Trump’s camp, said that the UK risks its future role in the F-35 project and may also face a counter-embargo imposed by the US Congress. It should be noted that F-35 fighter jets are partially manufactured by British arms companies and are used by the Israeli Air Force.
“The F-35 is a joint project, and it will continue to reach Israel – and neither Turkey, the UK, nor any other country can do anything about it. I don’t want to see a situation where the UK is not a partner in this project or other advanced platforms due to a very ill-advised arms embargo imposed on Israel. The consequences of this are something the UK really needs to consider at a time when Russia and China pose a huge threat to the West.”
O’Brien added that “much of the high-tech that the UK relies on comes directly or indirectly from Israel,” and emphasized: “This British policy proposal is extremely dangerous and has the potential to cause a rift in the special relationship between the US and the UK, and to harm the NATO alliance.”
Furthermore, O’Brien also demanded that the UK government do “everything in its power” to close the case being pursued against Israel at the International Criminal Court in The Hague. This follows the unusual step last month when the UK withdrew its objections to arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
The objections were submitted by the UK government last June, but in early July, a political shift occurred in the kingdom – Rishi Sunak’s Conservative government was defeated in elections by the left-wing Labour Party. It has been reported in the UK that the change in government is expected to bring a shift in policy regarding Israel’s conduct in the war.
Last week, human rights organizations filed a petition with the UK Supreme Court, accusing the government of refusing to ban arms sales to Israel. The lawsuit included testimonies alleging that Palestinians were “tortured, denied medical treatment, and unable to escape heavy bombings.” Last week, British Foreign Office official Mark Smith, who was involved in counter-terrorism efforts, resigned in protest against arms sales to Israel, claiming that Israel is “complicit in war crimes.”
Against this backdrop in the UK, Robert O’Brien’s comments are of great significance to Israel’s international standing.
