Palestine Action prisoners end hunger strike after UK cancels Israel-linked Elbit Systems defence contract
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Palestine Action prisoners end hunger strike after UK cancels Israel-linked Elbit Systems defence contract")
Models of long-range missiles are pictured at the Elbit systems display stand at the Farnborough Airshow, in Farnborough, on July 19, 2022. Photograph: (AFP)
Three UK hunger strikers end 73-day protest as Elbit Systems loses £2bn contract amid whistleblower claims and NATO ban, marking a major government shift.
Three prisoners linked to Palestine Action have ended a 73-day-long hunger strike, which is considered to be one of the longest hunger strikes in the UK since the 1981 Irish Republican hunger strike. The prisoner decided to end their strikes after the UK government decided against awarding a £2bn contract to the Israeli arms manufacturer Elbit Systems. Heba Muraisi, Kamran Ahmed, and Lewie Chiaramello were the last three remaining to end their hunger strike. Four others had previously paused their hunger strike and decided not to renew it.
Muraisi and Ahmed, who were on hunger strike for 73 days, while Chiaramello was on day 46 when the hunger strike ended. The group has claimed that the cancellation of the contract is a “resounding” victory and asserted that they are working towards the complete expulsion of the Elbit systems. Under the supposed contract the Elbit Systems would have trained 60,000 British troops a year. The company has acquired at least 10 public contracts since 2012, so the decision was a public shift in the mindset of the government.
Also Read: 'Survival remains conditional': Over 100 Palestinian children killed since 'ceasefire' in Gaza
Why did Israel-linked Elbit Systems lose the contract?
According to reports by the Guardian, Israel-linked Elbit Systems lost out to a consortium led by Raytheon UK, following whistleblowers' complaints about the breaking of protocols by Elbit. The whistleblower claimed that a former senior British army officer provided sensitive information about the company during the bidding process. Elbit has also been banned by NATO from bidding in any further defence contracts after a corruption investigation into the behaviour of defence companies seeking to win contracts from the military alliance. One of Belgium's federal prosecutors has issued an arrest warrant for Elbit over reported allegations that he bribed staff at Nato’s Support and Procurement Agency.
Elbit is the largest non-governmental defence contractor in Israel, with more than $33 billions in market capitalisation. Operates in more than dozens of countries and provides nearly 85 per cent of IDF's UAVs and land-based weapons.
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