LONDON: Israel’s “scorched earth” policy in Gaza is forcing Western countries to “walk a tightrope” in their relations with Tel Aviv, a Western official has told The Times.

Speaking anonymously, the official warned that Israel’s brutal assault on Gaza would make the country less safe.

More than 40,000 people have been killed in the Palestinian enclave since Israel launched its invasion in the wake of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack.

The UK angered Israel by banning 30 arms export licenses to the country this week.

In response, the official told The Times: “This is such a tightrope walk for all the Western democracies: Imperative to show support for Israel in this tragic moment of need, but the civilian casualties, the rules of engagement, the relentlessness and ferocity have made this so difficult to manage for Israel’s allies.

“Ultimately, the way Israel has prosecuted the fight will make it less safe in the world and for a country that can and has been so stealthy about striking back at its enemies, it continues to be a head-scratcher for me why the leadership there thinks this scorched-earth policy is the best way to manage it all.”

In executing the arms export ban, the UK government considered public statements by far-right members of the Israeli government, including National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.

He has called for the killing of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli detention, and proposed the building of an illegal Jewish-only settlement in Gaza.

Israel receives the vast majority of its arms imports from the US and Germany. In August, the Biden administration approved more than $20 billion in new weapons sales to Israel.

The figure includes components to make more than 100 million artillery shells, with Israel exhausting much of its stockpile in Gaza since last year.