MOSCOW, August 5 (RIA Novosti) - The United Kingdom is planning to review its $13.4 billion in arms and military goods exports to Israel, according to a spokesmen for the prime minister.
"We are currently reviewing all export licenses to Israel to confirm that we think they are appropriate,” the spokeswoman told reporters, as quoted by Reuters.
Currently most of the contracts stipulate the supply of military communications and cryptographic software, though parts for weapons are also being sold.
The news comes after the Spanish government decided to suspend the sale of arms to Israel due to the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
As reported by the El Pais newspaper earlier on Tuesday, the decision to “temporarily halt” the arms sale was made at a July 31 JIMDDU defense committee meeting “at which representatives from the economy, defense and tax ministries, among others, were present.”
In 2013 Spanish arms sales to Israel were just over $6.5 million.
Earlier on Tuesday, Israel withdrew its troops from the Gaza Strip as a three-day ceasefire between Israel and Hamas began. Both parties are expected to begin indirect talks on the final settlement of the conflict in the Gaza Strip.
Israel launched its Gaza offensive on July 8 to put an end to rocket fire from Gaza. On July 17, following days of fighting, Tel Aviv switched to a ground offensive largely aimed at destroying rocket launchers as well as underground tunnels used by Hamas militants to smuggle arms and secretly enter Israeli territory.
According to health officials in Gaza, more than 1,800 Palestinians, mostly civilians, have been killed since the beginning of the Israel’s Operation Protective Edge. Israel says it has lost 64 soldiers and three civilians.
