Which countries have suspended or restricted arms sales to Israel?

Britain’s decision followed a government review instituted by the Labour government that came to power in July. Though Britain accounts for just a fraction of arms sales to Israel, the decision by a key ally was criticized by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who declared: “With or without British arms, Israel will win this war and secure our common future.”

Meanwhile, human rights group Amnesty International called the action “too limited” and advocated for a complete halt on weapons sales.

Here’s what to know about how countries have grappled with the issue of arms supplies to Israel over the war in Gaza.

Which countries have suspended or restricted arms exports to Israel?

Britain on Monday announced the immediate suspension of around 30 out of some 350 arms exports licenses to Israel for items used in the current conflict in Gaza, including sales of components for some military aircraft such as fighter planes, helicopters and drones as well as items used for ground targeting.

Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the assessment found a “clear risk” that the exported items “might be used to commit or facilitate a serious violation of international humanitarian law.”

Last year, Greg Hands, the minister of state for trade policy under the previous government, told Parliament that Britain’s exports account for 0.02 percent of Israel’s overall military imports and that in 2022 the country exported about $55 million worth of military equipment to Israel.

Italy announced late last year that it had stopped sending weapons to Israel, though some arms exports continued. The government said it was honoring existing orders on the condition that the weapons would not be used against civilians, Reuters reported.

Italy was the third-largest global exporter of arms to Israel between 2019 and 2023, responsible for 0.9 percent of Israel’s imports during that period, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

Spain’s Foreign Ministry said in February that the country has not authorized any arms sales to Israel since Oct. 7. However, El Diario newspaper reported that military exports authorized before the war had been sent to Israel after the war broke out.

In the Netherlands, a court ordered the Dutch government to suspend the export of parts for F-35 fighters to Israel because of evident risks of serious violations of international humanitarian law, in response to a lawsuit brought by Oxfam Novib and two other rights groups. The Dutch government’s appeal against the decision is being heard by the Supreme Court.

Belgium’s Walloon region in February suspended two licenses for the export of gunpowder to Israel, local media reported, following the International Court of Justice’s order the previous month directing Israel to do more to prevent civilian deaths in Gaza.

Canada’s Foreign Ministry said in March that the country had not approved any arms export permits to Israel since Jan. 8 and that the pause would continue until it could ensure Israel’s “full compliance” with export controls. Permits granted before Jan. 8 would remain in effect.

Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly said in early September that the country suspended 30 arms permits of Canadian companies to Israel over the summer, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported.

“We will not have any form of arms, or parts of arms, be sent to Gaza, period. How they’re being sent and where they’re being sent is irrelevant,” she told reporters. Her statement came, CBC reported, weeks after the United States announced plans to send ammunition produced in Quebec to Israel.

Which countries have continued to supply arms to Israel?

The United States has supplied security assistance worth $6.5 billion to Israel since Oct. 7, The Washington Post reported in June. It is the top supplier to the Israeli military, accounting for 69 percent of its total arms imports between the years of 2019 and 2023, according to the SIPRI.

In May, the United States paused a shipment of weapons, including 500- and 2,000-pound bombs, as Israel threatened to invade the city of Rafah, in southern Gaza, where the majority of displaced Palestinians had fled. It reversed its decision on the 500-pound bombs in July.

On Tuesday, State Department spokesman Matt Miller said Britain’s decision to suspend some exports will not impact U.S. policy, and said U.S. assessments of “possible violations of international humanitarian law” were ongoing.

Germany has approved the sale of about $275 million worth of weapons and military equipment to Israel since October, government lawyers in April told the ICJ, where Berlin faced a legal challenge over its weapons supply to Israel. Germany said most of those sales were passed in October last year and that approvals had since dropped sharply. (The court declined to issue emergency orders to stop the sales.)

Germany was the second-largest arms supplier to Israel after the United States, with exports of $354 million last year.