London, December 27 (RHC)-- In London, Palestine Action's activities have struck another costly blow against the Israeli arms manufacturer, Elbit Systems. After the British Ministry of Defense canceled its watch keeper drone program with Elbit subsidiary UAV tactical systems U-TacS, Elbit Systems UK lost its largest ever British arms deal, valued at approximately £2.1 billion.
This is almost certainly due to an almost four-year campaign by the Direct Action Network. The largest Israeli weapons manufacturer Elbit has been working on the Watchkeeper program with partner company Thales for more than 20 years.
Palestine Action has been engaged in unrelenting direct action against their joint venture U-TacS for more than three years, seriously damaging their property and interfering with their business activities.
According to the administration, the action is part of their effort to decommission obsolete models. However, the Watchkeeper drone has only been operational for six years. The Hermes model, developed by Elbit for the Israeli military, serves as the complete basis for the Watchkeeper drone. The Hermes 450 is frequently used to kill and monitor Palestinians, and as a result, it is advertised as having been battle tested on them.
Israel's recorded war crimes, both before and during the current slaughter in Gaza, have been connected to the Hermes because the parts for the watch keeper and the Hermes worked so well together. U-TacS also supplies Israel with direct weapons parts.
Since May 2021 when four Palestine action activists invaded and took over the plant, staying on the roof for six days, the activists have been disrupting the U-TacS site.
The factory's activities have been severely hampered in the years since by persistent actions and disturbances at the location.
Actions against the site have increased since the start of the genocide in Gaza in October 2023. The most recent action at U-TacS was a truck colliding with the building before the activists occupied the roof.
A statement released by Palestine Action read, "Elbit losing its biggest contract signifies the beginning of the end for the Israeli weapons maker's presence in this country.
Direct action undertaken by hundreds of activists has consistently disrupted the operations of Elbit Systems, leading to significant delays in production, as well as damage to weaponry. There is no doubt that direct action works, and it's more necessary than ever to deploy effective tactics against the Israeli war machine."
[ SOURCE: PRESS TV ]
