Immediately revoke all licences for arms exports to Israel
The Parliament petitions site records 107,316 signatures for this petition, which closed on 29 May 2024. The Government responded on 5 March 2024. MPs debated it in Westminster Hall on 16 December 2024.
The petition
The petition's creator is not named in the Petitions site's published record. Quoted in full from the UK Parliament petitions site.
Immediately revoke all licences for arms exports to Israel
The UK is complicit in arming Israel, and many regard Israel to be committing war crimes.
Palestinian children have been made orphans, people have been crushed by buildings in airstrikes, and there have been many other tragedies. Arms that have been partly manufactured in the UK appear to be being used in the current military action in Gaza.
We believe the UK Government is on the wrong side of history, and must stop the sale of arms to Israel.
The Government's response
The Government published its response on 5 March 2024; the petitions site lists the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade as responsible. Its summary:
HM Government takes its export control responsibilities very seriously and rigorously assesses every application on a case-by-case basis against the Strategic Export Licensing Criteria.
The response in full:
HM Government takes its export control responsibilities very seriously and we operate one of the most robust and transparent export control regimes in the world. This is an important lever for promoting both UK prosperity and national and global security.
We rigorously assess every application on a case-by-case basis against strict assessment criteria, the Strategic Export Licensing Criteria (the SELC).
The SELC provide a thorough risk assessment framework for export licence applications and require us to think hard about the impact of providing equipment and its capabilities. We will not license the export of equipment where to do so would be inconsistent with the SELC. These are not decisions we take lightly.
We consider a range of factors, including examining the political and security conditions in the destination country, the nature of the equipment to be exported, the organisation or unit which will ultimately be the user of the equipment, and all available information about how similar equipment has been used in the past and how it is likely to be used in the future.
The Government supports Israel’s right to defend itself against Hamas, but Israel must comply with International Humanitarian Law (IHL).
The Government continues to monitor the situation closely, and we keep all export licences under continual review. If necessary, we will take action to amend, suspend or revoke licences, in line with the SELC, if circumstances require.
Department for Business and Trade
Where the signatures came from
Signatures came from 650 constituencies on the boundaries used until the 2024 general election. The largest number, 1,035, came from Bristol West.
106,271 of the signatures were from the UK and 1,045 from elsewhere, by the location signers gave.
| Constituency | Signatures |
|---|---|
| Bristol West | 1,035 |
| Bethnal Green and Bow | 1,032 |
| Hackney North and Stoke Newington | 851 |
| Ilford South | 839 |
| Poplar and Limehouse | 821 |
| Hackney South and Shoreditch | 782 |
| Walthamstow | 730 |
| Manchester, Gorton | 722 |
| Manchester Central | 721 |
| Holborn and St Pancras | 720 |
| Region | Signatures |
|---|---|
| London | 29,274 |
| North West | 12,290 |
| South East | 11,842 |
| Scotland | 8,415 |
| South West | 8,083 |
| West Midlands | 7,753 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 7,646 |
| East of England | 7,311 |
| East Midlands | 5,042 |
| Wales | 3,404 |
| North East | 2,373 |
| Northern Ireland | 2,132 |
Debate in Parliament
MPs debated the petition in Westminster Hall on 16 December 2024. Read the debate in Hansard. House of Commons Library debate pack.
Source and receipt
- https://petition.parliament.uk/archived/petitions/652949.jsonUK Parliament Petitions API · read 2026-10-15 · SHA-256
250952f2f9099647… - The petition on petition.parliament.uk
The petition's words are its creator's and the response is the Government's; this site quotes both and gives no view on either. Signature counts can still change while a petition is open. To report an error, send a correction request.