UK risks ‘tearing open’ US ties with Israel arms embargo: Trump adviser

The UK risks damaging its relationship with Washington over a potential ban on weapons sales to Israel, a senior adviser to Donald Trump has warned. The former US president’s last national security adviser, Robert O’Brien, said an arms ban on Israel by the UK government would also endanger Britain’s role in the F-35 jet program, The Guardian reported. O’Brien, who is now a key voice on national security in the Trump election campaign, made the remarks at an event hosted by the Policy Exchange think tank.

He also urged the UK to avoid damaging the “special relationship” with the US by “taking every step necessary” to shut down the International Criminal Court investigation into Israel’s leadership. The F-35 is the result of a multinational program that includes the UK as a partner and Israel as a sales customer. Parts of the jet are produced by British arms companies, and Israel has used the aircraft in its devastation of Gaza. The UK government is deciding whether to suspend arms export licenses to Israel over fears that British systems may have been used by the Israel Defense Forces to breach international humanitarian law.

“There is a potential there for a serious rift, whether it is a Harris or Trump administration, between the UK and the US, and I would tread very carefully,” O’Brien said. “The F-35 is a joint project and it is going to continue to go to Israel no matter what Turkiye, the UK or any other country has to do with it. “You would hate to see a situation where the UK is no longer a partner in the F-35 project or other advanced platforms because of a very ill-advised arms embargo on Israel. “The consequences of an arms embargo on Israel is something the UK really needs to think about at a time when Russia and China are posing a massive threat to the West. A lot of high-tech on which the UK relies comes directly or indirectly via Israel.”

O’Brien also attacked Britain’s stance on the ICC probe, which he accused of being highly selective. Under former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, the UK objected to the court’s issuing of arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. But under the current UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, the objections were dropped in late July. O’Brien accused the court of being “an impediment to peace in the region,” adding: “For the ICC to go after Israeli leaders is a joke … the UK should take every step necessary to shut it down.” If the UK moves ahead with an arms embargo on Israel, British firms may face difficulty in selling products in the US, O’Brien said.

Washington would “certainly” launch congressional action instituting a counter-embargo on major UK weapons firms, including BAE Systems, he added. “It (the arms embargo) is an extraordinarily dangerous policy proposal and has the potential to tear open the special relationship and really hurt the Western alliance and NATO.”