UK faces scrutiny over ongoing military support of Israel

As diplomatic ties between the UK and Israel continue to fray, Britain is still providing military support to Israel, the Middle East Eye reported on August 6th.

On August 5th, The Times revealed that the UK’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) had confirmed ongoing British surveillance operations over Gaza, with intelligence shared with Israeli authorities. However, flight tracking data indicated that Shadow R1s, a specialist surveillance aircraft operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF), have not flown over Gaza since July. The MoD has declined to specify which aircraft are currently being deployed in the region.

British politicians have increasingly questioned the role of RAF Akrotiri, a UK airbase in Cyprus which is just a 40-minute flight from Tel Aviv. RAF aircraft based there have reportedly carried out hundreds of surveillance missions over Gaza since the beginning of Israel’s military campaign in the enclave.

In response to mounting scrutiny, the MoD has insisted that its operations are focused on “hostage rescue.”

However, a source familiar with Britain’s intelligence capabilities in the Middle East told Middle East Eye that these surveillance flights provide the UK with “a bird’s-eye view of the genocide.” The source added that as a leading member of the Five Eyes intelligence alliance, alongside the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, the UK is “the number one gatherer of intelligence” in the region. “Britain knows exactly what is happening because of those flights. They have a better view than any journalist.”

Ex-British Army Major General Charlie Herbert told The Times: “It’s all good and proper saying they are handing over intelligence for the purposes of locating hostages, but in reality that intelligence is just as likely to be used [to target] Hamas and others.”

The MoD stated in 2024 that it “would consider any formal request from the International Criminal Court to provide information relating to investigations into war crimes.”

Nevertheless, secrecy continues to surround much of RAF Akrotiri’s activity. Middle East Eye reported that the UK government blocked Labour MP Kim Johnson from asking whether Israeli bombers were using the Cyprus base.

Diplomatic relations between the UK and Israel have worsened significantly, particularly following the British government’s announcement that it intends to recognise the State of Palestine this coming September. The decision drew a harsh response from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, which posted on X: “Starmer rewards Hamas’s monstrous terrorism & punishes its victims. A jihadist state on Israel’s border TODAY will threaten Britain TOMORROW.”

Despite this deteriorating political relationship, Britain’s military and intelligence cooperation with Israel remains active, and is likely to remain under growing public and political scrutiny.

Middle East Eye, The Times, Maghrebi.org