UK arms firms supply Israel with parts

British arms companies are supplying key parts for Israel's Apache combat helicopters, F-15 and F-16 fighter jets deployed in southern Lebanon, Gaza and the West Bank despite government guidelines banning the sale of weapons likely to be used "aggressively against another country" or fuel regional tensions.

The disclosure follows anger among British parliamentarians last week after it emerged that the government allowed US planes carrying bombs and missiles to Israel to refuel at Prestwick airport in Scotland.

British arms suppliers, including Smiths Industries and AgustaWestland, are among eight UK companies manufacturing components for Apaches, ranging from power-management systems and parts for the rotor to helmet-mounted displays for gunship operators.

MPE, a Liverpool-based manufacturer, sells electromagnetic filters used in bomb racks put on all F-15 fighter jets and the model of F-16s used by Israel.

Boeing, the sole supplier of Apaches, confirmed that the British-made components are included on all Apaches sent to Israel and a number of other countries.

The disclosures highlight weak-nesses in British arms export controls days after the UK Foreign Office described the controls as "one of the most rigorous and transparent regimes in the world."

British arms controls also forbid exports "to countries where serious violations of human rights have been established" or "if there is a clear risk that the proposed export might be used for internal repression."

A House of Commons committee on arms export controls is expected to issue a strong statement on exports to Israel late this week despite pressure from some mem-bers to tone it down.

Israel was listed as a country of concern in last year's annual Foreign Office report on human rights, and the government has said it would refuse arms export licenses for any equipment that could be used aggressively by Israel. Nonetheless, F-16s, F-15s and Apaches have been used extensively by Israel in the recent attacks across Lebanon and Gaza, which have resulted in more than 500 civilian casualties to date.