Britain’s Labour Party risks creating a significant rift in the UK’s special relationship with the US if it moves forward with a ban on arms sales to Israel, Donald Trump’s former national security adviser has cautioned, according to a report on Thursday in The Guardian.
Robert O’Brien, a prominent figure in Trump’s security circle, warned that the UK could jeopardize its future role in the F-35 fighter jet project and face potential US congressional counter-embargos.
The Labour government has yet to determine whether it will suspend licenses for arms exports to Israel due to concerns over potential violations of international humanitarian law during the conflict in Gaza.
Speaking at the Policy Exchange think tank, O’Brien also called on the UK government to do everything possible to halt the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) investigation into Israel. He accused the ICC, led by British prosecutor Karim Khan, of selectively targeting certain leaders.
O’Brien stated, according to The Guardian, that if the UK were to impose an arms embargo on Israel, “there is a potential for a serious rift, whether it is a Harris or Trump administration, between the UK and the US and I would tread very carefully.”
“The F-35 is a joint project, and it will continue to be supplied to Israel regardless of what Turkey, the UK, or any other country decides. You would not want to see a situation where the UK is no longer a partner in the F-35 project or other advanced platforms due to an ill-advised arms embargo on Israel,” he stressed.
“The consequences of an arms embargo on Israel are something the UK must seriously consider, especially when Russia and China are posing a massive threat to the West,” added O’Brien.
He stressed that the US would not impose an arms embargo on Israel, warning that any allies who did would face real risks, potentially jeopardizing their own supply chains and their ability to sell arms products in the US, such as those from the British firm BAE Systems. He cautioned that an arms embargo would likely prompt congressional action to impose a counter-embargo on UK sales in the US.
British Foreign Secretary David Lammy has previously indicated that there would be no "blanket ban" on arms sales to Israel, but that he would "consider the issues in relation to offensive weapons in Gaza".
Before the recent British election, Fabian Hamilton, a candidate with the Labour Party, broke ranks by claiming that arms sales to Israel and Saudi Arabia will stop if the party takes power.
Lammy’s predecessor, David Cameron, ruled out banning arms sales to Israel, saying that doing so would not be a solution and would only make Hamas stronger.
O’Brien also criticized the ICC as “really an impediment to peace in the region,” condemning the court’s investigation of Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“For the ICC to target Israeli leaders is a joke … The UK should take every step necessary to shut it down,” he said.