UK Arms Exports to Israel over last 18 months; Party Leader calls for Halt

[chill_wind]

Leading British politician calls for suspension of arms exports to Israel

Canadian Press
Published: Tuesday, July 25, 2006


LONDON (AP) - The leader of Britain's opposition Liberal Democrats on Monday asked Prime Minister Tony Blair to suspend arms exports to Israel after fighting that has killed hundreds of civilians.


(..)

"In light of disproportionate military action by Israel in Lebanon and Gaza, the UK government must suspend any further arms exports to Israel," Campbell wrote.

He said that over the last 18 months, the government had licensed the export of arms to Israel worth over $45 million US, including components for naval light guns, military utility helicopters, aircraft radars and electronic warfare equipment.

more:

http://www.canada.com/topics/news/world/story.html?id=bccf3598-8a96-423b-86d7-143a4d5d8811&k=72909

So were those all just business as usual routine shipments, too?

[chill_wind]

1. Airport staging grounds "has also been used by CIA for rendition flights."

UK airport used to fly bombs to Israel
By Thomas Harding Defence Correspondent and Anil Dawar
(Filed: 26/07/2006)

(...)


Britain has been used as a staging post for major shipments of bunker-busting bombs from America to Israel. The Israelis want the 5,000lb smart bombs to attack the bunkers being used by Hizbollah leaders in Lebanon.

Two chartered Airbus A310 cargo planes filled with GBU 28 laser-guided bombs landed at Prestwick airport, near Glasgow, for refuelling and crew rests after flying across the Atlantic at the weekend, defence sources confirmed. The airport has also been used by the CIA for rendition flights carrying terrorist suspects.

The Government's agreement to the bomb flights was criticised last night by the Liberal Democrats.

more:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/07/26/wmid26.xml

[mom cat]

2. Not to mention the use of an airport in Scotland for the shippment

of US arms to Israel.

[chill_wind]

3. Correct, mom cat!

The first article doesn't make it clear whose arms the UK was shipping for the last 18 months (the second one does talk expressly about the latest US weapons shipments in the news of the last couple days).

Either (both) ways, 18 months sounds like quite an ongoing build-up in anticipation of something more than the cited hostilities over two captured soldiers. Or was it just US-UK-Israel arms-traffic "business as usual"?

[mom cat]

4. Good question. I do not know.