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UK ‘flirting with danger’ over Israel arms ban, Trump’s security adviser warns

Keir Starmer’s government is “flirting with real danger” if it imposes an arms embargo on Israel, a senior Donald Trump ally has warned.

Robert O’Brien, who served as national security adviser under the first Trump presidency, said the potential move, being actively considered by the UK, could tear apart the special relationship with the US, regardless of who wins the White House race, and undermine the strength of Nato.

In an event with the Policy Exchange think tank, Mr O’Brien said imposing an embargo on weapons used by Israel risked jeopardising the UK government’s involvement in the multinational joint fighter jet F-35 programme and could even lead to a counter-embargo imposed by Congress on UK arms sales to the US.

Cabinet ministers are considering a ban on selling weapons to Israel amid the ongoing war on Gaza.

Foreign Secretary David Lammy told the Commons in July that any embargo would apply to offensive, rather than defensive weapons and that the UK still believed Israel had a right to defend itself against attack.

However, Benjamin Netanyahu’s government has said its operations in Gaza are defensive in response to the October 7 Hamas attacks.

Attorney General Lord Hermer visited the Middle East earlier this summer to assess a possible weapons ban, but no decision has yet been taken.

Mr O’Brien told Policy Exchange: “As far as the arms embargo goes, there is a potential there for a serious rift, whether a Harris administration or a Trump administration, between the UK and the US.

“I would tread very carefully. I would never presume to instruct a foreign government or give advice to a foreign government about how to conduct their affairs, but the F-35 is a joint project.

“That F-35 is going to Israel, it’s going to continue going to Israel, no matter what Turkey or the UK or any other country has to do with it.

“You’d hate to see a situation where the UK is no longer a partner on the F-35 project or other advanced platforms because of a very ill-advised arms embargo against Israel.

“That would hurt the UK with either a Democrat or a Republican administration. I think the consequence of that kind of arms embargo on Israel is something that the UK really needs to think about at a time when Russia and China are posing a massive threat to the West.

“To get involved in that kind of situation – and keep in mind a lot of our hi-tech that the UK relies on comes either directly or indirectly from Israel.

“The US is not going to walk away from Israel, we aren’t going to put an arms embargo on Israel, and any of our allies that do are flirting with real danger and may imperil their ability and their own supply chains on the arms front… An arms embargo would certainly lead to Congressional action to put a counter-embargo on my guess any UK sales to the US.

“I think that’s an extraordinary dangerous policy proposal that has potential to tear apart the special relationship and to really hurt the Western alliance and Nato. I advise against that.”

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