By Robert Inlakesh

When it then comes to Israel’s largest weapons company, Elbit Systems, the story becomes even more sinister.

This Friday it was revealed that the British government is poised to sign a whopping £2 billion contract with Israel’s largest weapons company Elbit Systems. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government is playing a dirty game by aiding Israel’s genocide, silencing its critics and pretending as if symbolic measures represent pushback.

Understanding the immense public pressure to act against Israel’s ongoing starvation campaign against Gaza, which has now been classified a famine by the UN, the British government say they will join France, Canada and Australia in recognizing Palestine at the upcoming UN General Assembly meeting in September. This was conditioned on Israel letting in food and signing a ceasefire agreement.

Last year, UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy even announced that his government would suspend 30 arms export licenses to Israel, citing a “clear risk” that the components being sold could be used to violate international law. Although it chose not to suspend another 320 arms export licenses, including components for F-35 fighter jets and was even fought in court over it; ultimately receiving approval to continue selling the components.

Now David Lammy has signed onto a joint letter with Britain’s Western allies, asserting that “the decision by the Israeli Higher Planning Committee to approve plans for settlement construction in the E1 area, East of Jerusalem, is unacceptable and a violation of international law.”

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This is all important, not to show that the UK is standing up to Israel, in fact, it is evidence that incriminates them by demonstrating their knowledge of Israel’s countless violations of international law, or at least intentions to do so, which aren’t limited to the moves above. Yet, despite this, they continue to back Israel and aid its ongoing war crimes.

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UK Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, notably encouraged Israel’s siege tactics that are clear violations of international law, prior to taking office. He stated that “Israel does have that right” when asked whether he believes Tel Aviv should be able to cut off water from Gaza, a question posed to him during an interview for LBC radio on October 11, 2023.

It also emerged upon the Labour Party taking power, half of Keir Starmer’s Cabinet were funded by the Israel Lobby. Not only this, but Quadrature Capital that gave the UK Labour Party their largest ever donation of £4 million, also just so happens to have $121 million dollars worth of shares in a range of weapons companies, tech and logistics firms which have helped aid Israel’s military campaign on Gaza.

Some of those companies which Quadrature Capital invests in are specifically involved in producing parts for Israeli F-35 fighter jets. It therefore comes as little surprise to know that the British government fought a fierce court battle in order to continue allowing the sale of F-35 components to the Israeli military, despite knowing well that these fighter jets have specifically been used to commit civilian massacres in so-called “humanitarian zones”.

When it then comes to Israel’s largest weapons company, Elbit Systems, the story becomes even more sinister. The British government has in fact collaborated with the arms company throughout the genocide on Gaza, having awarded the Elbit with a three-year £57 million contract back in May of 2023, despite public opposition to the move.

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Although the Labour Party government wasn’t responsible for signing that contract, it continued the so-called Project Falcon that came as a result of it. In fact, it went a step further and actively worked alongside Elbit Systems to combat dissent from the public, particularly Palestine Action.

Since 2020, Palestine Action had operated as an activist organization with its primary goal being to “Shut Down Elbit” from the get go, which led to a crackdown by the UK authorities. The activists have used tactics like blocking access to, smashing windows of and spraying red paint on weapons factories, as a tactic to see them close down across the country and stop supplying weapons that are used to commit war crimes against Palestinians.

Earlier this year, Declassified UK obtained documents that revealed the UK Labour government had held a private meeting with Elbit Systems in December of 2024, taking place only months after drones made by Elbit were used on three British military veterans who were protecting a humanitarian aid convoy.

In response to the deliberate murder of British nationals, the UK’s Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, attended the private meeting with Elbit Systems representatives, the contents of which were purposely hidden. 

However, it is now publicly known that in previous meetings between UK government officials and Elbit, the Israeli weapons company had urged the British authorities to crack down on pro-Palestine activism. According to leaked police files, Elbit Systems even has “its own intelligence cell and share(s) information with the Police across the country on a two weekly basis”. In other words, the private Israeli weapons company was working alongside the UK authorities to crack down on free speech and assembly rights.

It was later revealed that Elbit Systems had even lobbied the UK Home Office to get a re-trial of Palestine Action activists and co-founders, in order to punish them legally, back in December of last year.

Then came the UK government’s push to proscribe Palestine Action as a “terrorist” organisation, a charge led by Israel Lobby funded Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, placing the group on a list next to militant groups al-Qaeda and violent neo-Nazi organizations. A move that was condemned and campaigned against by leading human rights groups like Amnesty International and senior UN officials.

While the British government has no proof for its allegations that Palestine Action endorses or planned to endorse armed action, nor that it is funded by Iran, the Home Office briefed The Times that the activist group could be funded by the Iranian government. This then led to a wave of mainstream media reports, published without any official quotes, fact checking or evidence, that painted the picture that British Authorities sought to spread; demonizing Palestine Action as foreign backed. 

Back in February, the UK Ministry of Defense had paid £2 million to both Elbit Systems and Raytheon to develop their bids to win over the £2 billion contract that it is on the verge of closing with the Israeli weapons company, which would see them train 60,000 British soldiers, also making the company a “strategic partner” of the MoD.

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The UK authorities have actively worked alongside an Israeli company whose weapons have been used to kill British nationals, in order to stifle activism against them, whilst also condemning Israel publicly for their actions in Gaza which are openly violating international law. So, there is simply no way of the Labour government even arguing that it wasn’t aware, it is actively working with an Israeli weapons company against its own public.

This isn’t even considering the direct role that the British military has played in aiding Israel’s genocide, including mass intelligence gathering through reconnaissance flights and even the deployment of a British spy team that were revealed to have been sent to aid Israel after October 7, 2023.

As for the Palestine Action proscription, not only did UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk warn that the British government’s use of anti-terrorism legislation risk “hindering the legitimate exercise of fundamental freedoms across the UK”, the MI5 (domestic intelligence services) and members of the UK government itself had raised concerns internally about the legitimacy of the move.

Meanwhile, as the UK government suppresses dissent, Elbit Systems laughs all the way to bank, as its profits soured throughout 2025, making a killing off of genocide. It’s partners in crime are Keir Starmer and his corporate funded band of crooks who are directly implicated in in genocide. Recognizing Palestine’s right to exist at the UNGA will not excuse their continued efforts to wipe Palestine off the map.

(The Palestine Chronicle)

The views expressed in the article do not necessarily reflect the editorial position of The Palestine Chronicle.