UK Lawyers Remind IDF Volunteers: War Crimes Aren't Tourist Visas
The New Arab reports that the International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP) is pursuing charges under the Foreign Enlistment Act against a British-Israeli dual national in the IDF. While a volunteer soldier faces scrutiny, the UK government continues to greenlight arms sales to Israel. In 2022 alone, the UK approved £147 million in military export licenses to Israel, essentially
sanctioning complicity through commerce while individual citizens face legal jeopardy for their frontline choices. It appears that for Western governments, the line between legal and illegal participation in conflict depends less on the act itself and more on whose war chest is being filled. One might wonder if similar legal enthusiasm would materialize for UK citizens fighting ISIS, or if the
'rule of law' is a flexible friend when it comes to allies perpetrating mass displacement and alleged war crimes. How many British-made components will be loaded onto Israeli fighter jets before the UK government decides its own Foreign Enlistment Act applies universally?