UK ‘currently’ training Israeli soldiers on British soil, despite ICJ ruling to stop military support

13 June 2025, 13:01

The UK is ‘currently training’ a number of Israeli soldiers on UK soil, the MoD admitted, despite an ICJ ruling telling states to stop supporting Israel’s illegal occupation of the Palestinian Territories.

The UK is “currently training a limited number of Israel Defense Forces personnel on UK-based training courses,” Armed Forces Minister Luke Pollard said.

Responding to a written question by Labour MP Rachael Maskell, he said the training is “part of routine defence engagement with Israel”.

Ms Maskell had asked “when the last time was that a member of the Israel Defense Forces was trained by the UK armed forces”.

Labour MP for Leeds East, Richard Burgon, called the admission “sickening”.

“It's truly sickening news that the UK is training Israeli soldiers,” he wrote on X, adding: “It’s also a clear breach of international law.”

“The ICJ ruled that ALL states must end any cooperation that aids Israel’s illegal occupation. Britain must end all arms sales and military cooperation with Israel.”

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In 2024, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Israel’s 57-year military occupation of the Palestinian Territories is illegal.

The United Nations General Assembly then overwhelmingly voted to recognise and adopt the ruling by the world’s top court, with the UK abstaining in the vote.

The resolution adopted by the UN called on member states to work to end Israel’s occupation and demand a full military withdrawal, hold Israel accountable for any violations it commits, stop doing business with illegal settlements, stop supporting Israel militarily and suspend arms sales to the state, and support Palestinian self-determination.

While General Assembly resolutions are not strictly legally binding, they carry significant political and moral weight.

In 2016, a resolution by the UN Security Council, which is legally binding, called Israel’s occupation a ‘flagrant violation’ of international law. This resolution was voted for by the UK, and passed 14-0.

The news comes just days after the Government announced it had imposed sanctions on two far-right Israeli ministers for “their repeated incitement of violence against Palestinian communities” in Gaza and the Occupied West Bank.

Itamar Ben-Gvir, the security minister, and Bezalel Smotrich, the finance minister in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition government will both face a travel ban and see their assets frozen.

The sanctions are part of efforts by the UK and other Western nations to ramp up pressure on Israel’s government amid its ongoing war in Gaza, which is being investigated for potentially constituting a genocide.

But the news that Israeli troops are being trained on British soil is part of the UK’s wider support for Israel, which includes flying surveillance planes over Gaza and continued arms sales to the country.

This support has come under intense scrutiny in recent months, due to Israel’s ongoing blockade of humanitarian aid to Gaza leading the territory to the brink of famine.