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Activists protest Israeli arms firm’s presence in Paris Airshow

Tuesday, 27 June 2017 6:29 AM [ Last Update: Tuesday, 27 June 2017 6:44 AM ]

Pro-Palestine activists lay on the ground during a protest outside the stall of the Israeli weapons company, Elbit Systems, at the Paris Airshow in France on June 24, 2017.

French activists have staged a protest outside the stall of Israeli weapons company Elbit Systems at the Paris Airshow, holding the firm accountable for the war crimes committed by the regime against Palestinians.

Pro-Palestinian campaigners from the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement and Les Désobeissants (the disobedient) held the sit-in earlier this week to express their solidarity with the Palestinians.

The activists called for an immediate arms embargo on Tel Aviv until it ends it occupation of the Palestinian territories and complies with the international law.

They also urged the prosecution of Elbit Systems’ officials at the International Criminal Court for Israel’s atrocities against the Palestinians.

The Haifa-based Elbit Systems is Israel’s largest publicly traded arms company that manufactures 85 percent of the drones used by the Israeli military.

It supplied arms to the Israeli military during the 2014 war on the Gaza Strip, which left almost 2,200 Palestinians and over 11,100 others wounded.

Pro-Palestine activists stage a peaceful protest outside the stall of the Israeli weapons company, Elbit Systems, at the Paris Airshow in France on June 24, 2017.

At the Paris Airshow, Elbit Systems unveiled a new remotely-operated, “long-loitering munition” drone.

Dubbed SkyStriker, the unmanned aerial vehicle can fly for hours while sending back data and is capable of being guided onto a target to deliver explosives. It further offers a “kill” function that allows an operator to abort the strike at the last minute.

There has been an increase in anti-Israel sentiment over the past years as the regime has stepped up its oppressive measures against Palestinians.

The BDS movement was initiated in 2005 by over 170 Palestinian organizations pushing for “various forms of boycott against Israel until it meets its obligations under international law.”

Thousands of volunteers, trade unions, NGOs, academic and business societies, as well as cultural figures worldwide have joined the boycott campaign to help promote the Palestinian cause.

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