A mock sign greets delegates arriving at DSEI. (Photo: Vuk Valcic / Alamy)
Press freedom groups condemn organiser’s last minute decision to deny Declassified entry.
A major arms fair has been criticised by press freedom groups for refusing to let Declassified enter the event, which is being held for the first time since Labour took power.
The biennial Defence and Security Equipment International (DSEI) trade show is hosting over 50 Israeli companies this week at London’s sprawling ExCel Centre, despite cancelling plans for an Israeli government pavilion.
Exhibitors include Rafael, a missile manufacturer wholly owned by the Israeli state, and private weapons firm Elbit, which supplies 85% of drones used in Gaza.
It marks the first time Declassified has been denied media accreditation, having attended the last two DSEI events.
Those took place under Conservative governments in 2023 and 2021, when we questioned defence ministers about arms sales to Saudi Arabia.
Reporters Without Borders said the decision to block Declassified this year was “worrying”, “anti-democratic” and “suggests there is something to hide.”
When Declassified was allowed to enter DSEI in 2021, event spokesman General Roddy Porter claimed: “We’ve got nothing to hide here. This is a legitimate government transactional business.”
DSEI is organised by the company Clarion Events but relies on close cooperation from the UK’s Ministry of Defence, Foreign Office and trade department.
Labour ministers quizzed over arms exports to Israel. (Photo: UK Parliament)
UK trade department approved 34 military export licences to Israel in the two months since David Lammy announced a partial arms embargo, new data shows.
Labour government hasn’t completed a review on Israel’s compliance with international humanitarian law since July
Foreign Office has not asked to see footage from RAF spy flights over Gaza, which could provide evidence of Israeli war crimes
“No particular appetite” to restrict exports of F-35 components to Israel, even as minister admits US government can track whether British-made spare parts are being sent to Israel
Keir Starmer’s government has continued to approve arms exports to Israel even after some licences were suspended in September, it can be revealed.
31 “standard” and three “open” licences for military goods have been issued to Israel since 2 September, when UK foreign secretary David Lammy announced partial restrictions on arms sales to Israel.
Those items included “components for trainer aircraft” and “commercial aircraft” which were “not assessed to be used in relation to current military operations in Gaza”.
However, training aircraft can still be used to instruct Israeli pilots on how to conduct offensive operations in Gaza.
35 “standard” and six “open” licences were also approved for items classed as “non-military” such as telecommunications equipment and imaging cameras.
The UK government refused to issue a further 18 licences to Israel for “components for combat aircraft and naval vessels, as well as components for targeting and radar equipment”.
The information is contained in new data released this week on an “ad hoc” basis by Britain’s trade department in response to “significant parliamentary and public interest” in the issue.
The data was evaluated at parliament’s trade committee on Tuesday, during which ministers admitted that the UK government has still not determined whether Israel’s bombing of Gaza amounts to a violation of International Humanitarian Law (IHL).
The committee was told that the UK government has not updated its assessment on Israel’s compliance with IHL since 31 July, some four and a half months ago. Previous assessments have taken less than half that time to finalise.
One minister further confirmed that there was “no appetite” for stopping the export of F-35 fighter jet components for use by Israel, despite concerns that this breaches Britain’s legal obligations.
It comes days after Amnesty International accused Israel of committing a genocide in Gaza and warned the UK to “immediately suspend the direct and indirect supply, sale or transfer, to Israel of all weapons” in order to “stop fuelling violations of international law”.
UK Foreign Minister David Lammy confirms that UK government and military are active participants in Israel’s genocides and that the F-35 parts that they suspended from supplying to Israel are instead simply diverted via the United States. He says see https://youtu.be/QILgUHrdWREGenocide denier and Current UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is quoted that he supports Zionism without qualification. He also confirms that UK air force support has been essential in Israel’s mass-murdering genocide. Includes URLs https://www.declassifieduk.org/keir-starmers-100-spy-flights-over-gaza-in-support-of-israel/ and https://youtu.be/O74hZCKKdpA
