Britain’s half-hearted support for Israel helps no one

When Iran launched almost 200 ballistic missiles at targets across Israel on Tuesday, there were fears that it would ignite a wider regional conflict. That a wider war has not (yet) erupted is partly due to the fact that most of the missiles were intercepted by Israel and what the Israeli Defense Forces’ (IDF) spokesman called ‘a defensive coalition led by the United States’. The United Kingdom was part of that coalition. But what role did the UK really play on Tuesday night? And how does that support square with the Labour government’s hostility towards Israel?

Defence Secretary, John Healey, reiterated that ‘the UK stands fully behind Israel’s right to defend its country and its people against threats’ when he confirmed that British forces ‘played their part’ in defending Israel this week. This isn’t the first time Britain has backed Israel in this way. When Iran last attacked Israel in April, the Royal Air Force deployed Typhoon FGR4 fighters from RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus, alongside tanker aircraft, to help intercept their drones and missiles.