The British government may reverse its partial ban on arms exports to Israel and reopen trade talks in a move criticised by human rights groups.
Business and Trade Secretary Peter Kyle said Sunday that the government would consider ending the arms ban if the Gaza ceasefire deal progresses into the second phase.
"I want these things to restart as quickly as possible," he told The Jewish Chronicle over the weekend, adding that the government will look to reverse the measures when there's a "sustainable peace".
The UK suspended 30 arms export licenses in September 2024 over human rights violations committed by the Israeli military in Gaza.
Last year, then-foreign secretary David Lammy announced the UK would exit free trade negotiations due to the Israeli government's "egregious actions and rhetoric" against the Palestinians.
Amnesty International called Kyle's comments "deeply troubling" and urged the government to meet its obligations under international law.
"Israel's genocide in Gaza has not stopped. Killings have continued. The illegal blockade remains, as does the system of apartheid," it said in a statement on social media.
"The UK must not reward Israel as it is deepening its illegal occupation and apartheid policies."
Kyle's comments echo the UK's investment minister Lord Stockwood, who said in the House of Lords last week that the government would reopen trade talks after Israel and Hamas enter the second phase of the ceasefire.
"It is utterly shameful that instead of finally stopping the flow of weapons to Israel, the UK government is considering lifting the very limited restrictions it had in place," a spokesperson for the Palestine Solidarity Campaign told The New Arab.
"To arm a state that is committing a genocide, and imposing a regime of apartheid, flies in the face of international law as well as basic morality," it added.
The statements indicate a shift in government policy that appears to condition the resumption of arms sales on diplomatic developments, instead of ending Israel's violations of human rights.
At the time the ban was announced, the government said it had acted because of a serious risk that the arms would be used to violate international humanitarian law.
It cited Israel's aid blockade on Gaza and the mistreatment of Palestinian detainees, including its denial of access for the Red Cross to its detention facilities.
While 10 October ceasefire has reduced the intensity of the bombardment, Israel has continued to attack Gaza on a near-daily basis, killing at least 447 Palestinians and injuring 1,246 others, according to the local health ministry.
A New York Times investigation this week found that Israeli forces have destroyed more than 2,500 structures during the three-month truce, including in territory controlled by Hamas.
Though the supply of food into Gaza has increased during the truce, it remains below what aid agencies say is needed, and Israeli authorities have continued to prevent essential goods from entering the strip.
It continues to block the Red Cross from visiting detainees, who, according to a recent UN report, are subject to a "de facto state policy of organised and widespread torture".
The Israeli military has killed at least 71,424 Palestinians and demolished most of Gaza during a two-year onslaught that international rights monitors and many legal experts have termed a genocide.
The Department for Business declined to comment when contacted by The New Arab. The Foreign Office did not respond to a request for comment.