The use of British bases in Cyprus by the RAF in Israel’s military campaign in Gaza has been raised by Jeremy Corbyn, former Labour leader and now an independent MP.
Corbyn sent a letter to the Foreign Office, asking it to confirm whether RAF Akrotiri was being used to ship weapons to Israel and how many US air force flights had been made from the base to assist the onslaught against the Palestinians.
“We deserve to know the full scale of our government’s complicity and participation in genocide,” Corbyn said in the letter.
His intervention followed a Christmas visit by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to the base, where he boasted that it was not possible to talk publicly about the vital work being carried out there, according to the letter which appeared in the Morning Star newspaper earlier this week.
It said Corbyn also slammed the government over its “admission that it is making an exception to the UK’s legal obligations” after Foreign Secretary David Lammy accepted the fact that F-35 jets were being used in violation of international humanitarian law.
“By justifying the continued licensing of F-35 jet parts, your government is admitting its complicity in war crimes. Is it the government’s position that it cannot – or will not – bring the F-35 programme in line with the UK’s legal obligations? Is there anything the Israeli government could do that would compel the government to suspend licences for F-35 jet parts?” Corbyn asked.
Corbyn also warned ministers that they could be held accountable under international law if they supplied weapons to a government whose leader is wanted, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is, for war crimes.
Three months ago, Middle East Eye reported that a series of court cases around the world questioned the legitimacy and transparency of the international supply chain supporting the operation of Israeli F-35 jets in the air space of Gaza and Lebanon.
It added that Israel had been assisted by the increased flow of spare parts for F-35 jets by the US, which according to experts was of vital importance for keeping the jets in the air.
Court proceedings in The Netherlands have put a stop to spare parts finding their way to Israel.
While four cases are open against the export of weaponry to Israel, governments in the UK, The Netherlands, Canada and Denmark are being asked awkward questions about the spare parts for F-35 jets being manufactured on their territory.
NGOs that had taken legal action against Australia for exporting weapons to Israel remain determined to find ways to hold the government liable for the spare parts manufactured there.
A fundamental question raised through those cases was how the governments could continue to issue export licences and at the same time comply with national legislation and international conventions, which demand an evaluation as to whether such spare parts had been used or could be used in violation of international humanitarian law.
The Daily Express had also linked Israeli jets to Akrotiri last spring.
Press reports had focused on the British government’s refusal to disclose any information about the bases in Cyprus being used in offensives against Gaza.
