Palestine Action has caused £1m of damage to an Elbit-owned factory that supplies weapons parts to Israel. Of course, the militarists would call it criminal damage. However, activists would call the operation a success – as it means none of the kit made at the site can be used by Israel to kill Palestinians in Gaza and the Occupied Territories.
Palestine Action: Elbit smashed to bits
Palestine Action’s ‘decommissioning’ of Elbit Systems’ electro-optics weapons sights factory in Kent has left the ‘Instro Precision’ site immobilised, unable to produce weapons parts for export to Israel.
After tens of activists stormed the premises – bypassing security guards and cutting through three layers of wire fence – seven activists made it inside the factory itself, laying waste to the weapons of war being produced inside:
BREAKING: Actionists cut through 3 security fences to get inside Elbit’s ‘highly secure’ compound and break into Kent’s Israeli weapons factory.
Once inside, they begun dismantling machinery, technology and parts used to arm the Gaza genocide. pic.twitter.com/5yyQXJYbiA
— Palestine Action (@Pal_action) June 17, 2024
During their 36 hour detention, before their release under strict bail conditions, police interrogators put it to the seven arrested that over £1m of damage was caused in their few hours inside the factory.
“Good”, said Palestine Action in a statement:
Fewer sniper sights manufactured at Instro Precision means fewer guns for Israel’s genocide in Gaza.
Cops then released the seven, pending further investigation:
All seven actionists released after 36 hours in police cells for breaking into Kent’s Israeli weapons factory and allegedly causing over £1million worth of damage! pic.twitter.com/ziKOcWcul4
— Palestine Action (@Pal_action) June 18, 2024
Destroying cables on the outside of the factory, and wrecking machinery, computer technology, and parts being produced for Instro’s product line, the action sought to – and has successfully – put the site out of action.
Instro: complicit in Israel’s genocide
In a five year period, Instro Precision was granted over 50 weapons export licenses for sale of arms for military end-use in Israel, mostly of the ‘ML5’ category – weapons sight and target acquisition products. Many of these are the weapons sights ‘likely to be used in ground operations in Gaza’ by Israeli ground troops.
In 2019, an Elbit press release stated that thousands of XACT th64 and XACT th65 weapons sights had been delivered to the Israeli military, for use by “marksmen of both Infantry and Special Operation Forces”.
Besides products for snipers and infantry, Instro also manufactures sights and components for vehicular mounting, including the SpectroXR system fitted to Israel’s ‘Skylark’ drones. Instro products the ‘COAPS’ (Commander Open Architecture Panoramic Sight), which has been integrated with Main Battle Tanks and Armoured Fighting Vehicles with “hunter-killer capabilities”, in use by the Israeli military.
Featured image via Palestine Action
