Labor Risks Rift with US Over Potential Israel Arms Ban, Warns Former Trump Security Adviser

 

The UK’s Labour government could jeopardize its "special relationship" with the US if it proceeds with a ban on arms sales to Israel, former US National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien has cautioned. O’Brien, a prominent voice in Donald Trump’s inner circle, warned that such a move could threaten the UK’s role in the F-35 fighter jet project and expose it to potential counter-embargos from US Congress.

The Labour government is currently reviewing whether to suspend arms export licenses to Israel amid concerns over potential violations of international humanitarian law in Gaza. The F-35 jets, partly manufactured by UK arms firms, are employed by Israel in its ongoing conflict in the region.

Speaking at a Policy Exchange thinktank event, O’Brien urged the UK to block the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) investigation into Israel, accusing the court, led by British prosecutor Karim Khan, of selectively targeting certain leaders. This marks the first public indication of potential tensions between a Labour-led UK and a Trump administration in the US over a human rights-focused foreign policy.

O’Brien cautioned that an arms embargo could create a significant rift between the UK and the US, regardless of whether a future US administration is led by Trump or Vice President Kamala Harris. He emphasized that the F-35 project would continue to support Israel irrespective of the UK’s stance, and warned that Britain’s exclusion from such defense collaborations could have serious consequences amid global threats from Russia and China.

O’Brien also highlighted the potential impact on British defense companies like BAE Systems, warning that a UK arms embargo on Israel could prompt US congressional action to impose counter-embargos on British arms sales in the US market.

“It’s an extremely dangerous policy proposal that could damage the special relationship and undermine the western alliance and NATO,” O’Brien said, stressing the importance of maintaining UK-US defense ties.

He also criticized the ICC’s scrutiny of Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calling it a barrier to peace in the region. He urged the UK to take decisive action against the court’s investigations, aligning with the US, which has long opposed the ICC and even sanctioned its officials.

The UK has so far supported the ICC’s mandate to pursue prosecutions related to alleged war crimes by both Israeli and Hamas leaders, signaling a shift in its stance on the court’s role in investigating actions in the occupied territories.