Eight members of Palestine Action went on trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court in London in November, charged with criminal damage and burglary against Israel’s largest weapons manufacturer, Elbit Systems.
Britain and Israel – the Elbit connection
Elbit provides up to 85% of the military equipment used by the Israeli occupation forces, including missiles, bombs, gun systems, combat vehicles, cybersecurity technology and surveillance systems. 85% of Israel’s armed drones, used in daily surveillance and attacks in Gaza and the West Bank, are produced by Elbit. It’s also a main providers of the electronic detection fence system for the West Bank separation wall.
Elbit ‘battle-tests’ its equipment against Palestinians, such as the Hermes drones used to attack Gaza during Operation Cast Lead in 2009 and 2014’s Operation Protective Edge, in which hundreds were killed, including four young Palestinian playing on a beach in Gaza: the drone’s operators claimed to have mistaken them for ‘Hamas militants’ (see Gaza article p8).
Britain spends hundreds of millions of pounds each year on arms and military technology from Israeli companies. Over 300 Israeli companies operate in Britain. Britain’s ministry of defence has a contract with Elbit and its subsidiaries worth over half a billion pounds to train military personnel.
Direct action
Palestine Action has campaigned for over three years against Elbit Systems, targeting its head office in London as well as multiple manufacturing sites across Britain and its landlord, Jones Lang Lasalle (JLL).
In July 2019, Palestine Action targeted Instro Precision factory in Kent, whose products include optical systems for drones, scopes on guns and surveillance systems. Sustained action against the company’s Oldham site resulted in Elbit selling it in January 2022.
Activists have targeted Elbit’s London office 15 times since 2020, occupying the building, throwing red paint across the doors and locking on to the front doors. Palestine Action also targeted JLL demanding that it evict Elbit. These actions, which resulted in 60 arrests, forced Elbit to close the office in 2022 – the second Elbit site to be forced out of business by Palestine Action.
UAV Engines in Shenstone manufacture engines for Elbit’s Hermes drones and those used by Britain’s Watchkeeper programme. The site was shut down for two days in September 2020 after activists occupied the building, locking-on to gates and smashing windows, CCTV cameras, lighting and air conditioners.
Global resistance to arms sales
Palestinians have called for an international embargo on the weapons trade with Israel. Since the latest Israeli onslaught on Gaza, grassroots groups, workers and trade unions around the world have heeded that call. Spanish dockworkers refused to load ships in Barcelona transporting military equipment to Israel. Activists in Tacoma, US blocked an arms shipment after a multi-hour protest involving hundreds of people. On 7 November members of Palestine Action US targeted three of Elbit’s subsidiaries. In Australia, people staged a demonstration on land and sea to prevent a ship leaving Sydney Harbour loaded with weapons for Israel.
Solidarity with all who take principled action in support of the Palestinian liberation struggle and against the racist Zionist state!
Free the Elbit Eight!
Stop British Arms to Israel!
FIGHT RACISM! FIGHT IMPERIALISM! 297 December 2023/January 2024
