Campaign urge UK government to suspend all arms exports to Israel
A group of civil society organisations are urging the British government to not lift the current suspension of about 30 licences, but to suspend all arms exports to Israel.
A joint statement by Campaign Against Arms Trade, Global Justice Now, Global Legal Action Network, International Centre of Justice for Palestinians, and War on Want, said they were “appalled” by the government’s movement towards unblocking arms licences to Israel.
“The Government’s position was already untenable, temporarily suspending approximately 30 of 350 arms licenses to Israel, amounting to only 8.6 percent of total licenses,” it noted.
Earlier this week, UK Business Secretary Peter Kyle signalled the government may unblock arms sales to Israel.
In September 2024, the British government announced it was suspending 30 out of 350 arms export licences to Israel following a review that found a “clear risk” that some exports could be used to commit or facilitate serious violations of international humanitarian law.
Last May, then-British Foreign Secretary David Lammy suspended negotiations with Israel on a new free trade deal.
Turkish artist’s exhibition highlighting Gaza genocide opens in London
Posters to the Olive Tree of Exile, a solo exhibition by @YusufAygec , has opened at @P21Gallery in London with the support of @yeeorgtr. Curated by @samedkaragoz , the show brings together drawings engaging with memory, exile, and resistance. On view until 30 January 2026 pic.twitter.com/wHB1VmZn6P
— Yunus Emre Enstitüsü - London (@yeelondra) January 16, 2026
An art exhibition titled Posters to the Olive Tree of Exile has opened in London, shedding light on the destruction in Gaza following Israeli attacks that began in October 2023.
The solo exhibition features 20 works by Turkish artist Yusuf Aygec, focusing on themes of memory and witnessing in the aftermath of Israel’s genocidal attacks. Using coloured pencil and soft pastel drawings, he said that each work addresses a different theme.
Curated by Samed Karagoz, the exhibition highlights art as an ethical space for witnessing amid an ongoing humanitarian disaster, blending visual works with verses by Mahmoud Darwish, widely regarded as the national poet of Palestine.
Each of Aygec’s drawings represents a letter addressed not to an individual, but to the olive tree – a symbol of endurance and resistance.
