The following press release was sent out today by the group London Palestine Action:
More than 30 pro-Palestine campaigners occupied the Cabinet Office this afternoon demanding an end to the UK’s flourishing arms trade and military cooperation with Israel.
Campaigners from the London Palestine Action group occupied the building for more than 45 minutes. 3 people locked themselves to railings in the building while others chanted slogans calling on the UK government to impose a military embargo on Israel.
A member of the London Palestine Action group said:
“By allowing arms exports to Israel to flourish, the UK government is providing material and political support for Israel’s violent oppression and collective punishment of Palestinians, including the current massacre in Gaza.”
“UK companies that export arms to Israel such as BAE Systems and Boeing are profiting directly from Israel’s on-going attacks on Palestinian civilians on Gaza.”
“Rather than seeking to whitewash Israeli atrocities, the UK government should listen to the appeals made by Palestinian civil society groups and Amnesty International and impose a military embargo on Israel.”
“How many more people in Gaza have to die before the government will stop arming Israel?”
Official government data shows that the UK government issued arms export licenses to Israel worth £180m in the period 2008-12. Recent UK military exports to Israel include F16 fighter jets, assault rifles, armoured vehicles and ammunition. 31 different UK companies export arms to Israel.
Campaigners also criticised the UK government for collaborating with Israeli arms company Elbit Systems to build a new generation of drones for the UK army. The Watchkeeper drone will be heavily based on the Hermes 450, an Israeli drone that Human Rights Watch has documented as being used to deliberately attack Palestinian civilians in Gaza.
The London Palestine Action campaigner continued:
“Israeli military companies use Gaza as the testing ground for new weaponry and then make millions exporting the technology. The British government is, in effect, buying technology that has been ‘field tested’ on Palestinians.”
“We have to act to end UK complicity in Israeli apartheid and colonialism. We’ll continue to take direct action until the UK government and UK companies stop participating in Israel’s crimes against the Palestinian people.”
The UK government also leases Hermes 450 drones from Elbit Systems for use in Afghanistan.
More than 260 Palestinians have died since Israel began its assault on Gaza. Palestinian and international human rights groups have accused Israel of deliberately targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure, which are crimes under international law.
Following the 2008-09 attack on Gaza, the then Labour government announced that several arms export licenses would be revoked.
London Palestine Action is a new network of people campaigning in response to the Palestinian call for boycotts, divestment and sanctions (BDS) against Israel.
Across the water Paris has banned a pro-Palestine rally planned for the weekend:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2697194/Outrage-France-country-world-ban-pro-Palestine-demos.html
Of all places! The French love a demonstration, i hope they rally anyway.
And in Turkey:
“Israel evacuating diplomats’ families from Turkey, following attacks
Lieberman orders reduction of diplomatic representation, following violent demonstrations that targeted Israeli consulate, embassy.
Israeli diplomatic families in Turkey are being evacuated and Israel’s diplomatic representation in that country reduced to a minimum following violent demonstrations on Thursday night outside the embassy in Ankara and the consulate in Istanbul.”
Haartz
Well now Israel cannot blame Hamas for all these protests, and surge of grass roots activists, showing disapproval for Israel’s war crimes, can they?
If innocent Jews are made to feel uncomfortable, the blame must be on Israel.
If Israel had not killed little babies, and killed 300 Palestinians on false pretenses, then everything would have been cool.
CRIF able to compel the gov’t to not only cancel anti-Israeli demos, but to criminalize them as well — AIPAC will be taking notes.
Human Rights Watch wants only half-measures apparently. HRW supports only a limited suspension of transfers of some military equipment, whereas Amnesty International supports a comprehensive arms embargo.
Compare
Human Rights Watch:
Amnesty International:
Of course, the US Congress and UK Parliament will ignore even HRW on this.
France the first country in the world to ban pro Palestinian rallies.
Anyone who turns up to an illegal demonstration now faces up to a year in prison, and a 15,000 euro fine.
If they hide their faces to avoid being identified, this sentence can be increased to three years, and a 45,000 fine.
Even those who publish details of an illegal rally on social media face up to a year in prison, and a 15,000 euro fine.
This can be increased to seven years and a 100,000 fine if the postings lead to violence. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2697194/Outrage-France-country-world-ban-pro-Palestine-demos.html I suspect they would like to bring back the guillotine.