COULD THIS BE A BREAK-THROUGH???

Iqbal Tamimi

MP wants Israel arms sales ban
Evening Post Thursday, March 26, 2009

Arms exports to Israel must be banned immediately, Kingswood Labour MP
Roger Berry was due to tell ministers today.

The head of the influential Committee on Arms Export Controls said he is at
a loss as to how far the Middle Eastern state must go before the British
government will ban weapons sales to Israel.

Israel's response to rocket attacks from the Palestinian group Hamas earlier this year sparked protests with hundreds of people taking to the streets of Bristol. But arms licences are still being granted and Mr Berry has secured a Westminster Hall debate today to put pressure on the government.

He said: "The idea that countries can carry on exporting arms to Israel is quite wrong. The government says each licence application is judged on its merit and, to be fair, it has turned down quite a few.

"It says that any application for arms that it suspects will be used in the occupied territories will be rejected. But it's ridiculous to imagine Israel has got one arms stash from Britain that it doesn't use for that andanother stash from elsewhere that it uses for attacks.

"What does Israel have to do to be subject to an arms embargo, like the other parties to the conflicts in the Middle East?

"I condemn violence on all sides. But Israel is the occupying power. It is in breach of countless UN resolutions, its military strength is dominant in the Middle East. "Why do arms embargoes only apply to one side? They should apply to all sides."

Earlier this week United Nations investigators accused the Israeli army of a number of human rights violations including using an 11-year-old Palestinian boy as a human shield as they searched houses in Gaza.

Mr Berry will also call for an end to loopholes that allow countries that receive British arms exports to sell on the weapons to potentially rogue states.

URGENT ACTION:-

1) Add COMMENTS on the website - "dissenters" have been dragging red
herrings across the story!

2) Write letters of support for Roger Berry’s initiative to the “letters page” of the Evening Post asap Email epletters@bepp.co.uk

Loads of useful info on the CAMPAIGN AGAINST THE ARMS TRADE website
http://www.caat.org.uk/issues/israel.php eg

Britain approved £27 million of arms for export to Israel in the first nine
months of last year.

In the past Britain has bought 'battle-tested' arms from Israeli companies such as cluster bombs used in the battle for Basra in 2003.

3) Write letters of support to Roger Berry MP esp if you live in the
constituency:-

http://www.rogerberrymp.co.uk/

Roger Berry MP, PO Box 130, BRISTOL BS16 5FB tel: 0117 956 1837