Four former senior British Army officers have written to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer calling for an immediate and comprehensive arms embargo on Israel, warning that the UK risks being complicit in alleged war crimes.
Brigadier John Deverell, Lieutenant General Sir Andrew Graham, Major General Peter Currie and Major General Charlie Herbert argue that there is clear and compelling evidence that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are committing violations of international law.
They say the British government should end all military cooperation with Israel, including banning any involvement with Israeli defence companies.
“The evidence of war crimes is now so well documented and compelling that the British government should cut all military collaboration with Israel forthwith, to avoid the charge of complicity,” the letter states.
The signatories bring decades of senior military experience. Brigadier Deverell served for more than 30 years in the Army and was formerly defence attaché to Saudi Arabia and Yemen. Lieutenant General Sir Andrew Graham is a former Director General of the UK Defence Academy. Major General Peter Currie served as a military adviser in Bosnia-Herzegovina, while Major General Charlie Herbert was a senior commander during operations in Afghanistan.
Brigadier Deverell previously signed a similar letter in March 2024 calling for an end to UK arms sales to Israel.
Although a fragile ceasefire is currently in place between Israel and Hamas, which governs Gaza, the former officers argue this should not lead to a resumption of defence ties.
“Now is not the time to return to business as usual with the Israeli government,” they wrote.
The group is also calling for a halt to any RAF or British aircraft support for Israeli forces and for an end to the sharing of military technology between the two countries. RAF planes were previously deployed to assist in locating hostages kidnapped during the 7 October attacks, but those missions have since ended following the release of the remaining living hostages.
The officers further urged the Prime Minister to cease all business with Israel’s defence sector. Their intervention comes after Elbit Systems, Israel’s largest arms manufacturer, supplied ground-based surveillance radar systems to the Royal Artillery and bid for an Army training contract worth £2 billion.
Responding to the letter, a government spokesperson said: “In September last year, we suspended licences for items for the IDF that could be used in military operations in Gaza.
“Exports of such equipment remain suspended, and we have refused over 40 applications for licences to export goods to Israel between September 2024 and July this year.”
