The government has identified 12 licences for components which could be part of equipment used by Israel in its attacks on Gaza.
Vince Cable, UK's business secretary, said "We welcome the current ceasefire in Gaza and hope that it will lead to a peaceful resolution. However, the UK government has not been able to clarify if the export licence criteria are being met. We have however taken the decision to suspend these existing export licences in the event of a resumption of significant hostilities. No new licences for military equipment have been issued for use by the Israel Defence Force during the review period and as a precautionary measure this approach will continue until hostilities cease."
The suspensions, however, will not include the single licence granted in February 2013 for the export of up to £7.7 billion of cryptographic equipment. Cable said this licence covers equipment that could be used to build mobile phone networks in residential areas and for small businesses.
"None of this equipment meets military specifications and would not suitable for building military communications equipment," he said.
The licences covered by the latest announcement relate to export licences for military equipment that could be used by the Israel Defence Force in Gaza.
They include components for military radar systems, combat aircraft and tanks.
Israeli soldiers on top of their tanks as other Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs), pull back from the Gaza Strip at an unspecified location next to the Israeli Gaza Strip border on 04 August 2014, during a temporary - 7 hour - humanitarian ceasefire announced by Israeli Defence Force.( EPA Photo)
Suspensions, however, would not include components of Israel's Iron Dome missile shield which helps to protect Israelis from Hamas rocket attacks, commercial exports or components for manufacture of equipment to be supplied to countries outside Israel.
Cable said "Currently there is a ceasefire in place and UK continues to urge both sides to respect this and to secure a lasting end to hostilities through the negotiations taking place in Cairo. However, in the event of a resumption of significant hostilities, the government is concerned that it would not be able to clarify if the export licence criteria are being met. It would therefore suspend these licences as a precautionary step".
UK said it continues to monitor closely the situation in Israel and Gaza, and if existing licences are found to be no longer consistent with the criteria, those licences will be revoked.
Britain's deputy prime minister Nick Clegg strongly supported an arms embargo with Israel last week.
Clegg said "We must respect the strict criteria laid down in law. We must look at what's happened in Gaza to see if those criteria were breached. If it's shown those criteria were breached, then never mind suspending those licences, they would have to be revoked".
Britain's deputy prime minister Nick Clegg. (PTI Photo)
Documents obtained by the Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) under the Freedom of Information Act reveal that since 2010 there have been £42 million worth of licences to export military-only equipment to Israel. Licences granted include for naval guns and drones to ammunition, submarines and combat aircraft parts. CAAT says Israeli equipment used in Gaza in the 2008-9 conflict "almost certainly" contained UK-supplied components.
CAAT had called on the UK government to stop promoting arms sales to oppressive regimes and end its policy of "arms control by embarrassment".
It said "the government's arms export policy is essentially one of reacting to events and not taking sufficient account of the nature of the regimes concerned at the point when the decision is made to approve the export licence or not".
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