-Caveat Lector-
>From http://www.observer.co.uk/politics/story/0,6903,750948,00.html
}}}>Begin
Cabinet in arms to Israel row
Kamal Ahmed, political editor
Sunday July 7, 2002
The Observer
Britain is bypassing its own arms embargo on Israel by selling military equipment via
America.
In a move that has split the Cabinet, the Foreign Office is set to reveal that
components for F16 fighter planes will be allowed to leave the country despite being
destined for aircraft already sold to Ariel Sharon's government.
The move will be viewed with dismay by Arab states and anti-arms campaigners who
say the arming of Israel raises tension in the area. One senior Government figure
said there was a 'clear understanding' the fighter planes could be used for
aggressive acts against the Occupied Territories, in direct contradiction to Tony
Blair's call for peace.
Israel regularly uses F16s for assaults on the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. They
have been used in attacks on Rafah and the Palestinian securty compound in
Nablus, killing civilians.
Government sources admitted the issue was 'delicate' and that rules on sales to
embargoed countries via third countries were vague. One said the charge of
hypocrisy would be 'difficult to head off'.
'We look at these things on a case-by-case basis,' said one senior Downing Street
official. 'We have to make it clear we will only sell to countries where there are
effective procedures for controlling which countries the equipment is sold on to.'
The deal will again focus attention on the Government's attitude to military sales
abroad and raise the possibility that any arms embargo can be bypassed by selling to
a third country.
The Government was condemned this year when it was revealed it was backing a
£28 million military air traffic control system for Tanzania despite claims the country
did not need and could not afford such a high-tech system.
The Ministry of Defence has been pushing for the Israel deal to go through, despite
opposition from Patricia Hewitt, the Trade and Industry Secretary. She is worried
about the negative message such a deal sends to Arab supporters and the rest of
the European Union.
However, Hewitt will now back the deal as long as the rules on future contracts to
third countries are clear. Britain is to provide sophisticated navigation and targeting
equipment for the F16s, which are being built in America for Israel.
The 'head-up displays' allow pilots to see positional and weapons information
displayed in front of each eye without having to look at separate dials. It is sold as
allowing pilots to fly with fewer distractions and increasing the accuracy of bombing
raids.
The MoD admitted the contract was part of a wooing exercise to get US military
business. Britain and the US are already planning a £100 billion joint strike fighter
project.
'We have to get as much of that business as possible and we cannot be prescriptive
on what we will and won't sell them,' said one MoD source. 'The British defence
industry employs tens of thousands of people. We have to show we are a reliable
supplier of high-tech defence equipment.'
The Foreign Office has already officially warned Israel about using British equipment
to target the Occupied Territories.
In May, Foreign Secretary Jack Straw demanded an explanation from Sharon's
government about the use of British military equipment in tanks and attack
helicopters. Straw was furious that their use had come to light despite a written
pledge from Israel in November 2000 that said 'no UK-originated equipment . . . is
used as part of the defence force's activities in the territories'.
Campaigners against the new Israeli arms deal will point to guidelines published by
the Government in 1997. They said that departments 'will not issue an export licence
if there is a clearly identifiable risk that the intended recipient would use the
proposed
export aggressively against another country'.
Although the Palestinian Authority areas are not officially a country, Blair has said
that he supports a separate Palestinian state.
Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2002
End<{{{
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