Six days after Israel’s bombardment of Beirut on 8 April 2026, the UK government issued a rare statement condemning the Israeli airstrikes.
In its Joint Foreign Ministers’ Statement of 14 April, the Foreign Office wrote: “We also condemn in the strongest terms the massive Israeli strikes on Lebanon…result[ing] in the death of more than 350 persons and wounded more than 1000.”
The statement marks a discursive shift, albeit subtle, towards Israeli attacks, known as ‘Black Wednesday’ after Israel struck the capital city over 100 times in ten minutes – despite a ceasefire agreement. In condemning specific airstrikes, the UK government made a rare departure from its previous condemnations of Israel.
The UK’s statements have seldom condemned specific airstrikes by Israel. One rare instance was condemnation of Israel’s bombing of UK-ally Qatar, in September 2025. Most other instances relate to Israeli land theft, settler-colony construction and annexation in the West Bank. The UK has only very rarely condemned Israeli action in Gaza, and when it has it is couched in vague language, relating to “expansion of [Israel’s] military operation”, rather than specific attacks.
Despite Israel’s bombardment of Gaza, Iran and Lebanon, including an attack that destroyed a Tehran synagogue, the UK has still not taken meaningful diplomatic, intelligence, military or political action, despite enabling Israel in all domains.
Meanwhile, other nations and non-governmental organisations have had to shoulder Britain’s responsibility to act. In March this year, Belgium interdicted two UK shipments bound for Israel, containing fire control systems and spare parts for military aircraft.
Separately, it has fallen on non-governmental organisations to investigate and notify the relevant authorities of travel by suspected Israeli war criminals. Despite this, there is not a single known instance of the Met police questioning, let alone charging, Britons who have served in Israel’s genocide, despite being handed dossiers on at least ten combatants. It has since emerged that over 2,000 British nationals have served for Israel amid the Gaza genocide.
Commenting, Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) Research Coordinator, Sam Perlo-Freeman said:
In response to Israel’s ‘Black Wednesday’ massacre in Beirut, the Labour government issued a rare condemnation of specific Israeli airstrikes, when it has long preferred to be much vaguer. It is not lost on anyone but the ideologically fervent that the Israeli government is hell bent on terrorising the entire region, committing war crimes, ethnic cleansing and genocide – for over two and a half years now.
Israel appears to have no red lines governing its conduct, whether it’s the gang rape of Palestinian hostages, and celebration of its perpetrators, the bombing of synagogues, the systematic targeting of healthcare workers, torture of children, or ‘quadruple tapping’ healthcare workers.
The UK plays a pivotal role in enabling it all; whether in the F-35 programme, used by Israel to bombard Gaza and Iran, turning a blind eye to the 2,000+ Brits fighting in Gaza, drone component exports, or hosting Israelis who incite genocide – such as President Herzog. And let us never forget that the 600+ Royal Air Force spy flights over Gaza, which gave Israel a surveillance capability that it didn’t have, and watched as British aid workers were assassinated.
The UK government has not a shred of moral fibre so long as it refuses to take meaningful action against Israel and halt its complicity in every domain. Until then, there remain serious questions as to whether its Prime Minister, Defence Minister, Foreign Minister and members of the armed forces should be hauled in front of a war crimes tribunal.
