Palestine Action, a pro-Palestine grassroots movement based in the UK, have set up a protest camp outside Elbit UAV Tactical Systems in preparation for the group’s siege on the Israeli arms factory, scheduled to begin on May. Palestine Action said its activists set up unreachable hammocks in the treetops overlooking the factory, in open defiance of the Israeli war machine. ‘Under the cover of the trees behind the factory, they lay in wait four days before Palestine Action’s siege against Leicester’s Israeli weapons factory begins,’ said the movement in a statement. Activists have confirmed they plan to hold their positions until Elbit closes their weapons factory. From May 1, those in the camp are due to be joined by hundreds due to attend the siege and mobilise against Elbit’s business-of-bloodshed. The mass action will include hundreds staying put for weeks nonstop, refusing to leave until Elbit does. Palestine Action says its siege will cut off Leicester’s link to Israel’s military supply chain, building on three years of resistance and action against Elbit’s arms making. UAV Tactical Systems, a joint venture between Elbit and French company Thales, has a number of export licenses for the sale of arms to Israel, covering drones, military technology, imaging systems, and ground vehicles. The factory’s flagship product is the Watchkeeper drone, which is modelled after Elbit’s Hermes 450, after it was ‘battle-tested’ on Palestinians. The Hermes drone is used for both surveillance and bombardment of Palestinians in Gaza, says the movement. Elbit Systems is the majority supplier of weapons for Israeli military, including 85% of Israel’s military drone fleet. In addition, Elbit has worked in close cooperation with the Israeli military in conducting air strikes, assisted by their AI technology, on Palestinians. A Palestine Action spokesperson from the camp said: ‘In a surprising blow to Elbit’s state of the art security, we’ve occupied the area behind them, unnoticed for 12 hours. We’re unreachable in the trees, and we’re here to lay the ground for the siege. We’re just a sign of what’s to come.’

Source: Palestine News & Information Agency (WAFA)