Friday, 16 September 2016

What Moral Dilemma?

The UK Government face a dilemma in the light of the report that Saudi Arabian-led air attacks on Yemen appear to be in breach of international law and a third of the 8,600 air strikes they have carried out have hit civilian targets including schools, hospitals, markets, mosques and economic infrastructure with a death toll of more than 10,000.
The dilemma is that in the 18 months since the bombing began, the UK has sold £3.3bn of fighter jets, bombs, missiles and components to Saudi Arabia so against that spreadsheet, the dilemma is whether to suspend arms sales to the Kingdom.
Human rights groups and campaigners have increased the volume against the arms sold to continue their attacks in Yemen and questions to government ministers have been aired in the House of Commons which have been answered by a pitiful response that sales will not be suspended and will only stop if UK courts ruled them unlawful.
A Whitehall source with knowledge of the situation explained that: 'I don’t think the Saudis go out to kill civilians, but it would be fair to say the Saudis have different thresholds when it comes to tolerance of things like that'.
Appears then that the moral dilemma is not a moral dilemma at all for the UK Government then, the profits we make by selling arms to Saudi Arabia trumps what they do with it so great news for the arms industry but not quite so good for any Yemeni civilians in the line of fire of a missile stamped with 'Made in Britain' on the side of it.

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