Arms exports to Israel raised in UK parliament after MEE story

LONDON - Labour MP Richard Burden has raised the export of UK weapons to Israel in the context of the killings in Gaza. Speaking in parliament, he asked Middle East minister Alistair Burt what it would take "for the UK to enforce its own arms export criteria and stop arms sales to Israel."

He was referring to this story last month, in which Middle East Eye revealed that the UK government has approved the sale of nearly $500m in arms to Israel since 2014, including sniper rifles and sniper rifle parts. 

Burt replied that since the start of "recent difficulties in Gaza, we have looked at all export licences in relation to Israel, and our sense at the moment is, we have no information to suggest that UK-supplied weapons have been used against protesters".