Quakers join parliamentary discussion on suspending arms exports to Israel
Quakers joined a roundtable discussion on suspending arms exports to Israel, hosted by Brendan O'Hara MP in parliament this week.
Billy Vaughan, public affairs officer at Quakers in Britain, attended the event on Tuesday, 30 April, where parliamentarians were told that the UK has a moral responsibility to immediately stop arms exports to Israel.
Human Rights Watch and the Campaign Against Arms Trade also took part in the discussion, where MPs and peers were encouraged to use consistent cross-party messaging.
The Israeli military has killed more than 34,000 people in Gaza since Hamas militants attacked Israel on 7 October last year, killing 1,200 and taking 250 hostage.
Since 2015, the UK has licensed over £442 million worth of arms to Israeli forces, according to the Campaign Against Arms Trade.
In February Quakers joined seven other organisations working in the Occupied Palestinian Territory in urging the British government to suspend arms transfers to Israel.
Quakers around the world recently signed a joint statement calling for action to bring about a just and lasting peace in Palestine and Israel.