UK Govt admits British military components were used by Israel in Gaza war
x | 22.04.2009 10:20 | Smash EDO | Anti-militarism | Palestine
UK reviews arms export licences to Israel after Gaza
The government said on Tuesday it was reviewing arms export licences to Israel after acknowledging British components may have been used in military equipment used by Israel during its 22-day offensive in the Gaza Strip.
Foreign Secretary David Miliband faced questions from lawmakers during the conflict in January over whether Israeli forces were using any British equipment but said then it was not clear what equipment had been used.
He told parliament on Tuesday some Israeli military equipment used in Gaza may have contained British components.
"I can confirm that we are looking at all extant licences (for sensitive exports to Israel) to see whether any of these need to be reconsidered in light of recent events in Gaza," Miliband said in a written statement.
"All future applications will be assessed taking into account the recent conflict," he said.
British exports of sensitive products that are for military use or that can have both civilian or military applications need a licence. Britain says it will not grant a licence if there is a clear risk of exports being used either for internal repression or for external aggression.
Miliband said he still believed British arms export controls were "amongst the strongest and most effective in the world."
Israel said it launched the offensive to counter rockets fired from Gaza. According to a Palestinian rights group, 1,417 Palestinians, including 926 civilians, were killed. Israel disputes those figures.
Edward Davey, foreign affairs spokesman for the Liberal Democrats, said the statement was an admission the British arms control system had broken down.
"David Miliband failed to bring pressure to bear on Israel through a suspension of arms sales when it might have had a useful effect. A review now only serves to slam the stable door after the horse has bolted," he said in a statement.
More than 100 legislators signed a statement in January calling for an embargo on the supply of military equipment to both sides of the Gaza conflict, according to Richard Burden, a Labour MP.
Miliband said Israel was estimated to buy more than 95 percent of its military needs from the United States with part of the rest coming from the European Union. He did not give a figure for British arms exports to Israel.
He said British-made components for F16 fighters and Apache attack helicopters have been licensed for export to the United States where Israel was the ultimate end-user.
Britain has also approved the export of components to Israel for a 76mm gun for a Saar 4.5 class Corvette -- a type of vessel reported to have been used in a naval fire support role during the Gaza offensive, Miliband said.
He said Britain had received many applications to licence exports of equipment to Israel's Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, or drone, industry, but said most drones were re-exported from Israel and the British government had no evidence to suggest that British components were used by Israeli forces.
(Reporting by Adrian Croft; Editing by Matthew Jones
The government said on Tuesday it was reviewing arms export licences to Israel after acknowledging British components may have been used in military equipment used by Israel during its 22-day offensive in the Gaza Strip.
Foreign Secretary David Miliband faced questions from lawmakers during the conflict in January over whether Israeli forces were using any British equipment but said then it was not clear what equipment had been used.
He told parliament on Tuesday some Israeli military equipment used in Gaza may have contained British components.
"I can confirm that we are looking at all extant licences (for sensitive exports to Israel) to see whether any of these need to be reconsidered in light of recent events in Gaza," Miliband said in a written statement.
"All future applications will be assessed taking into account the recent conflict," he said.
British exports of sensitive products that are for military use or that can have both civilian or military applications need a licence. Britain says it will not grant a licence if there is a clear risk of exports being used either for internal repression or for external aggression.
Miliband said he still believed British arms export controls were "amongst the strongest and most effective in the world."
Israel said it launched the offensive to counter rockets fired from Gaza. According to a Palestinian rights group, 1,417 Palestinians, including 926 civilians, were killed. Israel disputes those figures.
Edward Davey, foreign affairs spokesman for the Liberal Democrats, said the statement was an admission the British arms control system had broken down.
"David Miliband failed to bring pressure to bear on Israel through a suspension of arms sales when it might have had a useful effect. A review now only serves to slam the stable door after the horse has bolted," he said in a statement.
More than 100 legislators signed a statement in January calling for an embargo on the supply of military equipment to both sides of the Gaza conflict, according to Richard Burden, a Labour MP.
Miliband said Israel was estimated to buy more than 95 percent of its military needs from the United States with part of the rest coming from the European Union. He did not give a figure for British arms exports to Israel.
He said British-made components for F16 fighters and Apache attack helicopters have been licensed for export to the United States where Israel was the ultimate end-user.
Britain has also approved the export of components to Israel for a 76mm gun for a Saar 4.5 class Corvette -- a type of vessel reported to have been used in a naval fire support role during the Gaza offensive, Miliband said.
He said Britain had received many applications to licence exports of equipment to Israel's Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, or drone, industry, but said most drones were re-exported from Israel and the British government had no evidence to suggest that British components were used by Israeli forces.
(Reporting by Adrian Croft; Editing by Matthew Jones
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Comments
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excuses
22.04.2009 11:20
erm what else would you use weapons for !?! if thats the case no weapons manufacturer will get a licence.. . . . yet they all do!
RE:volution
The arms trade
22.04.2009 13:42
Don't mistake that "Israel gets 95% from the US" to mean that Israel gets 95% of its armaments form the US. That's just 95% of arms that Israel IMPORTS.
Take this British made component for the Israeli drone. You haven't stopped to ask WHY does Israel license this British company to make this part. Because Israel SELLS these drones, and one of the factors potential customers almost always consider is alternate sources of parts. In other words, easier for Israel to sell the drones (they're a world leader in drones) if customers can "buy British" ESPECIALLY when that customer might be Britain. Have you checked on that? What makes/models of drones do you use yourselves? Not this Israeli drone by any chance? In which case refusing to sell this component to Israel means coming up with your own.
The naval guns are the revese sort of situation. Israel has so few ships of the sort that use them that scarcely pays for them to design/manufacture their own. But negotiations over this sort of thing are tricky as you have an interest in what Israel DOESN'T sell to whom as well. You need to consider the quid pro quos involved. You refuse to sell the naval guns to Israel? Then maybe Israel doesn't refuse to sell some of it's souped up air to air missles to Argentina.
MDN
israeli arms trading
23.04.2009 09:00
The Lavi fighter debacle shows up the zionist attitude: many $billions in R&D and generous donations of technology by uncle Sam and still the Lavi was not fit for purpose. The solution? Sell the sensitive technology to China (directly and explicitly contravening the contracts made with the American government, let alone dangerously exposing the underbelly of American military defences), write off the $billions in loans still owed and get one Dov Zackheim (head $$$ man at the Pentagon at the time) to 'gift aid' israel a whole wing of the latest and best fighter jets on the grounds that they were 'surplus technology' - even though at the time the US possessed less of them than the package sent to israel!
And then there is the case of Jonathon Pollard, who has the status of a political prisoner within the zionist world. His 'loyalty' led to the likely deaths of hundreds of American agents and the neutralisation of thousands more, the sensitive documents he stole from his employers and transfered to israeli agents (most probably through Eliot Abrahams and Richard Pearl) ended up being sold to China and some of the more sensitive technologies being back engineered by israeli arms companies, who then actually attempted to patent the stuff and charge Ameican companies royalties!
israel has free access to British arms sales, export credits (which, being an underwriting by the British tax payer to cover the costs should israel default on the payments and invariably results in just that) and sensitive military data (including intelligence on technology, potential competitors to their 'own' companies and on individuals that pose a threat to this set up - ie those same people who write and campaign agains the arms trade here).
UK based companies - including those linked with the generous donators to political parties here - are then used to 'offset' any costs and losses incured, to grease the wheels of this monolithic gravy train and to sidestep any potential problems faced by 'end user licences'.
In short, it is a bloody disgrace.
Abe Foxman