TEHRAN- The British prime minister's decision not to prohibit arms sales to Israel has thrown a spotlight on the UK's conspiracies against Palestine and its people that have existed for more than a century.

Keir Starmer told the British Parliament on Monday that he would not ban all arms sales to Israel.

British MP Zarah Sultana asked the premier if he would “finally do what’s legally and morally right and end the government’s complicity in Israeli war crimes by banning all arms sales to Israel, including F-35 fighter jets, not just 30 licenses.”

Starmer rejected Sultana’s call by an outright “No”. 

Prime Minister Keir Starmer says it is wrong to consider total ban on UK arms sales to Israel “But it is a really serious point. Banning all sales would mean none for defensive purposes. None for defensive purposes on the anniversary of October 7 and days after a huge attack by Iran into Israel would be a wrong position for this government and I will not take it,” he added. 

Israel has butchered nearly 42,000 Palestinians including more than 16,000 children since launching war on Gaza on October 7, 2023. The Israeli onslaught came after Hamas carried out a surprise military operation in southern Israel which led to the deaths of more than 1,100 people. 

Israel has also continued its airstrikes in Syria over the past year and began a massive bombing campaign in Lebanon last month. In response to the Israeli killing of Iranian military advisors in Syria and Lebanon, as well as the assassination of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) fired a salvo of missiles towards Israel once in April and for the second time a week ago.  Starmer implies that Israel uses British weapons for “defensive purposes”, yet his stance will further embolden the regime to persist in warmongering and military adventurism in West Asia. 

The United States has been mainly blamed for feeding Israel’s killing machine in Gaza through its unwavering military support for the regime since October last year. 

Besides the nearly $4 billion of military aid that Tel Aviv receives from Washington annually, the administration of President Joe Biden has provided the regime of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with additional weapons worth billions of dollars. 
Prime Minister Keir Starmer says it is wrong to consider total ban on UK arms sales to IsraelOver the course of the Gaza war, Britain’s involvement in the atrocities committed by Zionists has often been eclipsed by that of the United States.    

Nonetheless, Starmer’s refusal to ban arms deliveries to Israel has once again exposed Britain’s longstanding double dealing and duplicity. 
The UK’s complicity in the Gaza genocide may not be as extensive as that of the United States. But Britain is primarily responsible for the pain and suffering of Palestinians which has resulted in the ongoing genocide in Gaza. 

Britain facilitated the immigration of Zionists to Palestine in line with efforts to achieve its goals during World War I and World War II. 

Britain's commitment to create "a national home for the Jewish people” in Palestine articulated in the Balfour Declaration of 1917, is widely regarded as a significant factor contributing to the ethnic cleansing of Palestine in 1948. The tragic event has been described as Nakba or catastrophe. 

Before and after the establishment of Israel in 1948, Zionists have committed brutal massacres against Palestinians and such crimes have persisted to the present day. 

Iranians have used the phrase "the old fox" to describe Britain over its cunning, sly and devious actions. 

For now, Britain’s continued arms sales to Israel will egg on Netanyahu and other Israeli criminals who are like rabid dogs to escalate savage attacks against Palestinians. 

But lionhearted Palestinians have stood firm in their struggle against such savage beasts.