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Do the UK still support israel
Executive summary
The answer is: complicated — the UK both supports Israel in some official and practical ways while also criticising and constraining Israeli actions. The government has repeatedly said it backs Israel’s right to defend itself and has provided military cooperation, arms licences and deployed personnel in support roles (see GOV.UK, Reuters, Declassified/analysis) while at the same time UK ministers, Parliament and public bodies have criticised Israeli operations, suspended some licences, called for ceasefires and by September 2025 formally recognised a Palestinian state [1] [2] [3] [4] [5].
1. “Official support” — government language and diplomatic alignment
Whitehall statements and press releases have asserted UK support for Israel’s security and its “right to defend itself,” while urging compliance with international law; the government’s public pages and past press statements make this position explicit [2] [6] [1]. At the UN and in diplomatic channels the UK has often aligned with Western partners in opposing terrorist attacks and supporting Israel’s security claims even as it calls for restraint and humanitarian access [6] [4].
2. Practical cooperation — arms, training and deployments
Reporting and investigations document continued practical links: UK arms licences and exports to Israel have continued and at times increased (Channel 4 / customs analysis summarised on Wikipedia), the UK has provided training, intelligence and logistical cooperation cited by investigative outlets, and a small contingent of British military planning officers was deployed to join a US-led stabilisation task force in October 2025 [7] [8] [9] [3]. NGOs and campaigning groups say these ties amount to substantial material support [10].
3. Limits, suspensions and legal/political pushback
The UK has at points suspended some arms licences (notably in 2024), exempted certain components such as F‑35 parts (subject to judicial review), and faced parliamentary and legal scrutiny over the scale and legality of support to Israel [3] [7]. The House of Commons Library and ministers have warned Israel risks breaching international humanitarian law when blocking aid, and UK governments have publicly pressured Israel to open crossings and allow humanitarian assistance [4] [6].
4. Party politics and shifting government posture
UK policy has varied with changes in government and political leadership: Conservative governments initially emphasised unequivocal backing after October 2023 while later Labour leadership under Keir Starmer and Foreign Secretary David Lammy criticised some Israeli actions, called for ceasefires and in 2025 recognised a Palestinian state — signaling a recalibration of official posture even as some practical ties remain [5] [11] [3].
5. Public opinion and civil society pressure
Polling and opinion research show British public sympathy has shifted toward Palestinians in significant numbers: YouGov and Ipsos polling from 2025 record rising sympathy for Palestinians and only a small proportion saying the UK should overtly support Israel, while sizeable majorities back measures such as ending arms sales during the Gaza war [12] [13] [7]. NGOs such as Oxfam and campaign groups press for an end to military exports and for ceasefires [10].
6. Competing narratives in the media and advocacy sectors
Investigative outlets (Declassified, openDemocracy) argue the UK’s military and intelligence cooperation has effectively bolstered Israeli operations and say policy has been consistently pro‑Israel in practice; government and establishment sources emphasise restraint, legal tests on exports, and humanitarian aims—this produces competing accounts of whether UK actions amount to support or conditional partnership [8] [14] [7].
7. What the available sources don’t settle
Sources document licences, deployments and political statements but do not provide a single metric equating “support” to a clear yes/no. Available sources do not mention a definitive catalogue of every UK arms shipment, the full legal basis for every licence decision, nor a single authoritative UK policy that wholly ends or wholly affirms support beyond public statements and documented actions [7] [3] [10].
8. Bottom line for readers
The UK continues to support Israel’s security in diplomatic language and through multiple practical channels (arms licences, training, some operational cooperation), while simultaneously applying legal limits, public criticism, calls for humanitarian access and — by September 2025 — formal recognition of a Palestinian state; this mixed posture reflects political pressures at home, legal constraints and international diplomacy [2] [3] [5] [4].