Overview

This bill aims to completely ban the UK from selling arms to Israel and buying arms from Israel. It also mandates an independent inquiry into how effectively the UK prevents arms sold to Israel from being misused.

Description

The Israel Arms Trade (Prohibition) Bill proposes a comprehensive ban on all arms trade with Israel. This includes:

• Prohibition of Arms Sales to Israel: The UK government would be forbidden from authorizing, licensing, or directly/indirectly selling any arms to Israel. Existing licenses would be revoked.
• Prohibition of Arms Imports from Israel: The UK government would be prohibited from purchasing, directly or indirectly, any arms from Israel.
• Amendment to Export Control Order 2008: Israel would be added to the list of embargoed countries in the Export Control Order 2008, strengthening export controls.
• Independent Inquiry: An independent inquiry must be commissioned within 60 days of the bill passing to investigate the effectiveness of the UK's end-use guarantees in preventing misuse of arms sold to Israel. The inquiry's report would be presented to Parliament within a year.
• Definition of "Arms": The bill defines "arms" broadly to include military and dual-use goods, equipment, and technologies.

Government Spending

The bill's direct impact on government spending is unclear. The cost of the mandated inquiry would need to be factored into government expenditure. The potential loss of revenue from arms sales to Israel is also a financial consideration, although specific figures are not provided in the bill.

Groups Affected

• UK Arms Manufacturers: Companies involved in arms manufacturing would face a significant loss of potential revenue due to the sales ban.
• UK Government: The government will experience the costs of the mandatory inquiry and potential financial losses from reduced arms trade.
• Israel: Israel's military would be directly affected by the loss of access to UK-supplied arms.
• Humanitarian and Advocacy Groups: Groups advocating for human rights and an end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict may see this as a positive step.

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