Much trade is already conducted between the UK and Israel despite its shocking human rights record to wards many foreign nations particularly the Palestinians.
One example being the arms trade and the exchange of knowledge and money in the development and use of Unmanned Ariel Drones.
One example being the arms trade and the exchange of knowledge and money in the development and use of Unmanned Ariel Drones.
Watchkeeper or killer?
There are currently reports in the mainstream press and other media outlets that British Foreign Secretary William Hague met with Israeli politicos in Jerusalem.
It would appear that the Israelis are complaining that they have to follow the rule of law. In particularly the one about suspected war criminals having to face trial and answer for their actions such as the murder of very many civilian children, women and men. They have been accused of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity in the West Bank, Gaza and on internationally governed high seas.
The reports go on to suggest the British government may waver the rules concerning universal jurisdiction when it comes to Israeli politicians, generals and other military personnel. Despite the UK having signed up to such international treatise drawn up by the United Nations General Assembly.
see article 111 in the Introduction of Amnesty’s Report headed:
THE WIDESPREAD ACCEPTANCE OF UNIVERSAL JURISDICTION AND THE OBLIGATION TO EXTRADITE OR PROSECUTE
http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/IOR53/015/2010/en/ba497b37-79b6-40d5-b81f-745631bc2ed9/ior530152010en.html
There is much evidence of Israel committing war crimes during the 2008/2009 assault on Gaza named Operation Cast Lead.
Some of this is recorded in an extensive and though United Nations report chaired by justice Richard Goldstone.
Can be read here:
http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/hrcouncil/specialsession/9/FactFindingMission.htm
If the British government were to rewrite or ignore this legislation then it would set a precedent allowing those in favor to be above the law thus encouraging a society even more lawless than it currently is.
Much trade is already conducted between the UK and Israel despite its shocking human rights record to wards many foreign nations particularly the Palestinians.
One example being the arms trade and the exchange of knowledge and money in the development and use of Unmanned Ariel Drones.
Case Study Gaza City am house
On January 4, at around 3pm, an Israel Defence Force (IDF) drone launched a missile at six children playing on the
roof of the al-Habbash family home in the al-Sha‘f area of Gaza City. The missile killed two girl cousins, aged 10
and 12, and injured three other children, two of whom lost their legs:
Human Rights Watch interviewed Muhammad al-Habbash, 16, one of those injured in the attack. “We were playing as
we used to do every day, running around. There were drones flying overhead,” he said. “We stood near the edge of the
roof looking down to the street… I was thrown into the air and ran to the stairway amid the smoke.”
Muhammad al-Habbash, the father of one of the dead girls, Shaza, and a science teacher at an UNRWA school, was
downstairs when the missile struck. “We keep chickens on the roof and the kids were feeding them and playing,” he told
Human Rights Watch. “We heard the drone above, but it was always flying around.”
Reference:
Human Rights Watch, ‘Precisely Wrong : Gaza Civilians Killed by Israeli Drone-launched
Missiles’, Human Rights Watch, June 2009
Hermes 450 Elbit Systems Ltd. (Israel owned) Armed. Exported to: Georgia, Mexico, Singapore, US, UK
lHermes 450
(Elbit)
Currently in service.
Operated by Royal Artillery
Not armed.
Since July 2007 the UK has been leasing Israeli Hermes 450 in
an innovative ‘pay by the hour’ contract for use in Afghanistan.
By April 2010, the leased drones had flown more than 30,000
hours over Afghanistan. They are due to be replaced by:-
Watchkeeper (see below) in 2011.
(U-TacS)
In production due
to enter service in
2011
No Watchkeeper is being developed by U-TacS, a jointly owned
Israeli/UK company. The UK is purchasing 54 Watchkeepers at
a cost of £860m.64 The first ten will be built in Israel and then
production will transfer to a specially built facility in Leicester.65
Watchkeeper is currently being tested at ParcAberporth, Wales
(2010) and due to enter service in 2011.
Sovereign drones
While the British government is buying and renting US and Israeli
drones, it is very keen to develop its own ‘sovereign’ drones
made by BAE Systems, Britain’s largest arms manufacturer. BAE
have been developing several drones since 2002. The most
likely to reach production stage are Mantis and Taranis.
Read more:
British Drones – the Israeli connection
http://dronewarsuk.wordpress.com/2010/07/08/british-drones-%e2%80%93-the%c2%a0israeli%c2%a0connection/
It would appear that the Israelis are complaining that they have to follow the rule of law. In particularly the one about suspected war criminals having to face trial and answer for their actions such as the murder of very many civilian children, women and men. They have been accused of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity in the West Bank, Gaza and on internationally governed high seas.
The reports go on to suggest the British government may waver the rules concerning universal jurisdiction when it comes to Israeli politicians, generals and other military personnel. Despite the UK having signed up to such international treatise drawn up by the United Nations General Assembly.
see article 111 in the Introduction of Amnesty’s Report headed:
THE WIDESPREAD ACCEPTANCE OF UNIVERSAL JURISDICTION AND THE OBLIGATION TO EXTRADITE OR PROSECUTE
http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/IOR53/015/2010/en/ba497b37-79b6-40d5-b81f-745631bc2ed9/ior530152010en.html There is much evidence of Israel committing war crimes during the 2008/2009 assault on Gaza named Operation Cast Lead.
Some of this is recorded in an extensive and though United Nations report chaired by justice Richard Goldstone.
Can be read here:
http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/hrcouncil/specialsession/9/FactFindingMission.htm If the British government were to rewrite or ignore this legislation then it would set a precedent allowing those in favor to be above the law thus encouraging a society even more lawless than it currently is.
Much trade is already conducted between the UK and Israel despite its shocking human rights record to wards many foreign nations particularly the Palestinians.
One example being the arms trade and the exchange of knowledge and money in the development and use of Unmanned Ariel Drones.
Case Study Gaza City am house
On January 4, at around 3pm, an Israel Defence Force (IDF) drone launched a missile at six children playing on the
roof of the al-Habbash family home in the al-Sha‘f area of Gaza City. The missile killed two girl cousins, aged 10
and 12, and injured three other children, two of whom lost their legs:
Human Rights Watch interviewed Muhammad al-Habbash, 16, one of those injured in the attack. “We were playing as
we used to do every day, running around. There were drones flying overhead,” he said. “We stood near the edge of the
roof looking down to the street… I was thrown into the air and ran to the stairway amid the smoke.”
Muhammad al-Habbash, the father of one of the dead girls, Shaza, and a science teacher at an UNRWA school, was
downstairs when the missile struck. “We keep chickens on the roof and the kids were feeding them and playing,” he told
Human Rights Watch. “We heard the drone above, but it was always flying around.”
Reference:
Human Rights Watch, ‘Precisely Wrong : Gaza Civilians Killed by Israeli Drone-launched
Missiles’, Human Rights Watch, June 2009
Hermes 450 Elbit Systems Ltd. (Israel owned) Armed. Exported to: Georgia, Mexico, Singapore, US, UK
lHermes 450
(Elbit)
Currently in service.
Operated by Royal Artillery
Not armed.
Since July 2007 the UK has been leasing Israeli Hermes 450 in
an innovative ‘pay by the hour’ contract for use in Afghanistan.
By April 2010, the leased drones had flown more than 30,000
hours over Afghanistan. They are due to be replaced by:-
Watchkeeper (see below) in 2011.
(U-TacS)
In production due
to enter service in
2011
No Watchkeeper is being developed by U-TacS, a jointly owned
Israeli/UK company. The UK is purchasing 54 Watchkeepers at
a cost of £860m.64 The first ten will be built in Israel and then
production will transfer to a specially built facility in Leicester.65
Watchkeeper is currently being tested at ParcAberporth, Wales
(2010) and due to enter service in 2011.
Sovereign drones
While the British government is buying and renting US and Israeli
drones, it is very keen to develop its own ‘sovereign’ drones
made by BAE Systems, Britain’s largest arms manufacturer. BAE
have been developing several drones since 2002. The most
likely to reach production stage are Mantis and Taranis.
Read more:
British Drones – the Israeli connection
http://dronewarsuk.wordpress.com/2010/07/08/british-drones-%e2%80%93-the%c2%a0israeli%c2%a0connection/ 
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