UK Military's Spy Missions In Gaza In Support Of Israel

Declassified UK revealed that the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force (RAF) has conducted over 200 spy missions over Gaza in support of Israel siince 2015.

Matt Kennard shed light on the UK's involvement in Israel’s occupation of -Palestine and raised questions about the country's role in the region's ongoing atrocities. This detailed report aims to analyze the key findings of the article and discuss their implications.

Background

The Israeli-Palestinian “conflict” is a long-standing dispute between Israelis, the settler colonists, and Palestinians, the colonized, over land, resources, and self-determination of Palestinians. The Gaza Strip, a small coastal territory, has been under the control of Hamas since they won elections in 2006. Israel imposed a blockade on Gaza after they failed at a coup against Hamas. Despite being the party to incite violence in Gaza after Hamas won their elections Israel, supported then by the UK enforced a siege on Gaza, which has led to a long humanitarian crisis in the area. The UK has historically been involved in the region, both un-diplomatically and militarily. The UK was primarily responsible for the creation of the settler colonial entity called Israel.

Aerial view of Israel’s Nevatim air base where a British spy plane landed in February. (Google Earth)

Key Findings

1. Extent of UK military involvement: The report highlights that the RAF has flown more than 200 missions using the Watchkeeper drone over Gaza since 2015. These missions were conducted from Israel's Palmachim Airbase, which is located south of Tel Aviv. The drones were operated jointly by British and Israeli personnel. The extent of the UK's involvement in these operations demonstrates a significant commitment and complicity in supporting Israel's ethnic cleansing efforts against Palestinians.

2. Purpose of the spy missions: The primary objective of these spy missions was to gather intelligence on Palestinian resistance groups, particularly Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip. However, it is well known that these surveillance missions are often very broad including the majority of civilians. The information collected by the drones is shared with Israeli forces, enabling them to carry out all-out attacks as we have seen since October 7th, 2023. The collaboration between the UK and Israel in these operations suggests a shared interest in countering the perceived threat posed by Palestinians rightfully resisting their oppressors.

3. UK-Israel defense cooperation: The report emphasizes the close defense cooperation between the UK and Israel, with both countries working together on various military projects, including the development of the Watchkeeper drone. This is especially concerning as it suggests that the UK military is equally involved in testing new weapon systems with Israel over the civilian population of Palestinians in Gaza. This means Britain is an active participant in turning Palestinians into lab rats for their weapons technology.

   

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4. Legal and ethical concerns: The report raises questions about the legality and ethics of the UK's involvement in these spy missions, particularly in light of the ongoing Gaza Holocaust. Critics argue that the UK's support for Israel may be contributing to grave human rights abuses against Palestinians in Gaza. The involvement of the UK in these operations could potentially be seen as a violation of international law, particularly if the intelligence gathered is used to facilitate disproportionate or indiscriminate attacks against civilians, which from the current death toll, we already know is in motion.

5. Lack of transparency: The report also highlights the lack of transparency surrounding the UK's involvement in these missions, with the British government refusing to disclose details about the operations or their impact on the ground. This secrecy has made it difficult for the public and parliamentarians to scrutinize the UK's role in the current genocide and hold the government accountable for its actions. Matt Kennard has revealed several times since January 2024, that all efforts to get information from the Sunak regime over this grotesque involvement have been ignored.

What Are The Implications Of This Report?

The revelations in the Declassified UK report have several implications for the UK's foreign policy and its role in the Gaza genocide.

1. Reputation: The participation of the UK in these invasive espionage activities has damaged the UK’s remaining goodwill amongst the Palestinians, who can now be assured, that Britain is an equal participant in their oppression. The events in Gaza have removed any doubts about the British impartiality.

2. Legal and ethical responsibilities: The UK government must ensure that its actions align with international law and human rights standards. If the UK is found to be complicit in human rights abuses against Palestinians, it could face legal and diplomatic consequences. But does the UK care? Who will hold the UK accountable? We saw various parliamentary proceedings where Foreign Secretary David Cameron was questioned about the legal implications of British involvement in the Gaza genocide. We also know that lawyers issued warnings to the UK foreign office about the arms sales and these active operations against Palestinians are potentially illegal.

3. Transparency and accountability: The lack of transparency surrounding the UK's involvement in these potentially illegal spy missions raises concerns about the government's commitment to accountability to its tax-paying citizens. The British public and parliamentarians have a right to know about the country's military operations and their impact on the ground. However, since the beginning of the Gaza genocide, the Rishi Sunak government and the Tories have never been questioned over this involvement nor have they shown any interest in coming forth.

To read the original DeClassified UK article, please click here.