'British MPs Seek Review Of Arms Exports To Israel'

[Purveyor]

A group of British lawmakers are expected to call Tuesday for the reevaluation of arms deals with Israel after a recently published report claimed that British weapons were "almost certainly" used in Operation Cast Lead in December 2008, the British daily news website The Guardian reported on Tuesday.

"It is regrettable that arms exports to Israel were almost certainly used in Operation Cast Lead," The Guardian quoted a report published by the Commons committee on strategic export controls.

"This is in direct contravention to the U.K. government's policy that U.K. arms exports to Israel should not be used in the occupied territories," the report said.

According to the report, U.K. arms deals with Israel in 2008 totaled at over £27.5 million, and over £4 million worth of government exporting licenses, The Guardian reported.

The equipment sold by the U.K. to Israel apparently included components in cockpit displays in United States F-16 combat aircrafts and other parts installed in the U.S. Apache helicopters purchased by Israel and used during the Gaza offensive, the report concluded.

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HAARETZ: http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1159942.html

[oberliner]

1. Nato airstrike kills 27 civilians in Afghanistan

Nato forces in southern Afghanistan bombed a civilian convoy, killing 27 people including women and children and injuring many more, Afghan officials said.

The airstrike in a remote part of Oruzgan province yesterday capped a bloody week for Afghan civilians that has seen some 60 innocent people killed by Nato weapons.

Afghanistan’s cabinet called the attack "unjustifiable" and condemned the raid "in the strongest terms possible".

Officials said three vehicles were bombed, killing at least 27 people, including four women and one child, while at least 12 others were injured. The death toll had earlier been put at 33.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/afghanistan/article7035978.ece

[azurnoir]

3. Please Oberliner what has this got to go with arms exports?

perhaps NATO should stop trying to fight the Taliban, would that be better, actually perhaps IMO it would be but you left this part out

Officials said three vehicles were bombed, killing at least 27 people, including four women and one child, while at least 12 others were injured. The death toll had earlier been put at 33.
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The cars were travelling between Kandahar and Daikundi, in Afghanistan’s central highlands, when Nato and Afghan forces mistook them for insurgents.

Nato’s International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) said troops on the ground thought the civilians were militants "en route to attack a joint Afghan-Isaf unit" but they later confirmed that there were women and children at the scene and launched an investigation.

The local governor and the interior minister said all of the victims were civilians.

[shira]

4. It appears Oberliner is exposing hypocrisy.

So what do you think, AZ?

Was this incident with 27 civilians deliberate murder and collective punishment that constitutes a war crime? I'm sure HRW and AI are on top of things as we speak. :eyes:

And shall we see to it that the commanders of the UK will be arrested on site once they set foot in Britain?

[azurnoir]

5. I think what NATO does in Afghanistan has

very precious little to with who a country chooses to export arms to or not

[LeftishBrit]

2. Good. But how about a review of arms exports to anywhere?!