Israel has once again unleashed the full force of its military against the captive Palestinian population, particularly in the besieged Gaza Strip, in an inhumane and illegal act of military aggression. Israel's ability to launch such devastating attacks with impunity largely stems from the vast international military cooperation and trade that it maintains with complicit governments across the world. Over the period 2008-19, the US is set to provide military aid to Israel worth $30bn, while Israeli annual military exports to the world have reached billions of dollars.
In recent years, European countries have exported billions of euros' worth of weapons to Israel, and the EU has furnished Israeli military companies with research grants worth hundreds of millions. Emerging economies such as India, Brazil and Chile are rapidly increasing their military trade and cooperation with Israel, despite their stated support for Palestinian rights. By importing and exporting arms to Israel and facilitating the development of Israeli military technology, governments are effectively sending a clear message of approval for Israel's military aggression, including its war crimes and possible crimes against humanity.
Israel's military technology is marketed as "field-tested" and exported across the world. Military trade and joint military-related research relations with Israel embolden Israeli impunity in committing grave violations of international law and facilitate the entrenchment of Israel's system of occupation, colonisation and systematic denial of Palestinian rights.
We call on the UN and governments across the world to take immediate steps to implement a comprehensive and legally binding military embargo on Israel, similar to that imposed on South Africa during apartheid.
Adolfo Peres Esquivel, Nobel Peace Laureate, Argentina - Ahdaf Soueif author, Egypt/UK - Aki Olavi Kaurismäki, film director, Finland - Alice Walker, writer, US - Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Nobel Peace Laureate, South Africa - Betty Williams, Nobel Peace Laureate, Ireland - Boots Riley rapper, poet, arts producer, US - Brian Eno, musician, UK - Caryl Churchill, playwright, UK - Chris Hedges journalist, Pullitzer Prize 2002, US - Cynthia McKinney, politician, activist, US - David Palumbo-Liu, academic, US - Etienne Balibar, philosopher, France - Federico Mayor Zaragoza, former Unesco director general, Spain - Felim Eganpainter, Ireland - Frei Betto liberation theologian, Brazil - Gillian Slovowriter, UK/South Africa - Githa Hariharan, writer, India - Giulio MarconMP (SEL), Italy - Hilary Rose, academic, UK - Ilan Pappe, historian, Israel - Ismail Coovadia, former South African ambassador to Israel - James Kelman, writer, Scotland - Janne Teller, writer, Denmark - Jeremy Corbyn, MP (Labour), UK - Joanna Rajkowska, artist, Poland - Jody Williams, Nobel Peace Laureate, US - John Berger, artist, UK - John Dugard, former ICJ judge, South Africa - John McDonnell, MP (Labour), UK - John Pilger, journalist and filmmaker, Australia - Judith Butler, philosopher, US - Juliane House, academic, Germany - Karma Nabulsi, Oxford University, UK/Palestine - Ken Loach, filmmaker, UK - Kool AD (Victor Vazquez), musician, US - Liz Lochhead, national poet for Scotland, UK - Luisa Morgantini, former vice president of the European Parliament, Italy - Mairead Maguire, Nobel Peace Laureate, Ireland - Michael Mansfield, barrister, UK - Michael Ondaatje, author, Canada/Sri Lanka - Mike Leigh, writer and director, UK - Naomi Wallace, playwright, screenwriter, poet, US - Noam Chomsky, academic, author, US - Nurit Peled, academic, Israel - Prabhat Patnaik, economist, India - Przemyslaw Wielgosz, chief editor of Le Monde Diplomatique, Polish edition, Poland - Raja Shehadeh, author and Lawyer, Palestine - Rashid Khalidi, academic, author, Palestine/US - Richard Falk, former UN special rapporteur on Occupied Palestinian Territories, US - Rigoberta Menchú, Nobel Peace Laureate, Guatemala - Roger Waters, musician, UK - Ronnie Kasrils, former government minister, South Africa - Rose Fenton, director, Free Word Centre, UK - Sabrina Mahfouz, author, UK - Saleh Bakri, actor, Palestine - Sir Geoffrey Bindman, lawyer, UK - Slavoj Zizek, author, Slovenia - Steven Rose, academic, UK - Tom Leonard, writer, Scotland - Tunde Adebimpe, musician, US - Victoria Brittainjournalist, UK - Willie van Peer, academic, Germany - Zwelinzima Vavi, secretary general of Cosatu, South Africa.
