After Declassified helped uncover a suspicious military transfer from Britain to Israel, over 60 MPs and Lords have called for answers
Over 60 MPs and Lords have demanded answers over illegal shipments of weaponry from Britain to Israel via Belgium.
MPs who have signed the letter include Diane Abbott, Richard Burgon, John McDonnell, and Hannah Spencer, while the Lords include Baroness Sayeeda Warsi and John Hendy KC.
It has also been signed by Abtisam Mohamed MP, who sits on the foreign affairs select committee.
The move comes after Declassified, Belgian NGO Vredesactie, Irish news outlet The Ditch, and Palestinian Youth Movement discovered a suspicious package of military goods bound for Israel in March.
Belgium has strict laws on the transhipment of military items to Israel through its ports and airports, including a ban on overflights carrying weaponry through its airspace.
The shipment was seized by the Belgian authorities, which confirmed that it contained items covered by UK export codes for military aircraft and fire control components.
They did not refute that some of the items may have belonged to Moog, a US aerospace firm in Wolverhampton which manufactures trainer aircraft components for the Israeli air force.
A Belgian government spokesperson told Declassified: “No transit licence request was issued; if it had been, it would have been refused”.
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Arms to Israel
Published this morning and authored by Steve Witherden MP, the letter is now asking the UK authorities to explain how an illegal arms shipment to Israel was exported from Britain.
Addressed to trade secretary Peter Kyle, it asks for clarification on when the authorities first became aware that UK-origin arms were being illegally shipped to Israel.
Declassified understands that the March shipment was not the first instance of UK arms bound for Israel being intercepted in Belgium.
The letter further asks whether the Belgian authorities, arms manufacturers, and cargo carriers responsible for the shipment have been consulted over the issue.
In addition, it asks whether the trade department will subject the responsible arms firms to compliance visits to ensure they are conforming with their legal obligations.
The final question centres on whether the government will commit to examining whether logistics companies operating in the UK, including UPS and Challenge Airlines, are fully compliant with arms export regulations.
If not, the letter asks whether those logistics companies will be excluded from public procurement processes.
The full letter can be seen below:
