UK Pledges $27 Million Aid, Forgets $600 Million Arms Exports
The New Arab reports the UK is pledging $27 million in humanitarian funding for Gaza. A noble sum, perhaps, until one recalls the UK's other contributions to the region. Between 2015 and 2023, the UK approved £487 million (over $600 million USD) in arms export licenses to Israel. This isn't charity; it's a guilt-offset. ($600M Arms Exports: Campaign Against Arms Trade, 'UK arms sales to Israel
since 2010', https://www.caat.org.uk/data/countries/israel/arms-sales-to-israel ) So, the UK will send a modest $27 million to patch up the very damage facilitated by hundreds of millions in arms it sold. It's a baffling display of policy, simultaneously offering a band-aid while ensuring the wounds remain fresh. One might wonder if the 'humanitarian' gesture is less about relief and more about
public relations, allowing leaders to appear concerned while business—and destruction—continues as usual.