Israeli war criminals are set to attend the UK’s largest arms fair in London

Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) is demanding that the government take action to stop Israeli companies and delegates attending one of the world’s largest arms fairs, DSEI, taking place in London this September.

DSEI: Israeli companies and delegates to schmooze at UK’s largest arms fair

Defence and Security Equipment International (DSEI) opens at London’s ExCeL centre on 9 September. DSEI takes place biennially, and this year’s event is shrouded in secrecy. Unusually, it has not yet published the full exhibitor list and it is presently only available to registered delegates. However, its website does confirm the presence of a dedicated Israeli country pavilion.

However, CAAT’s research and data teams have started to collate information. They have currently compiled details of over 500 out of 1600 companies due to attend the event in our data browser. These include several Israeli companies such as Rafael and Israel’s largest arms company, Elbit Systems, who make 85% of the drones used by the Israeli Defence Force (IDF).

Alongside them are many UK and international companies complicit in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza. For instance, this includes F35 manufacturers Lockheed Martin and BAE Systems. Israel is using F35s to drop 2000lb bombs on children in Gaza.

Israeli war criminals to come to London for DSEI

This research indicates that war criminals will likely attend DSEI. In addition to the Israeli companies above, CAAT is particularly concerned about the presence of Israel’s Directorate of Defense, Research & Development (DDR&D), a branch of the Israeli Ministry of Defence, and Israel Aerospace Industries at the event.

According to the UK’s Export Control Joint Unit (ECJU):

it is uncontentious that conduct which could, in principle, satisfy the physical component of genocide continues to take place in Gaza.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant in November 2024. CAAT is therefore calling on the government to take action to stop the Israeli presence at DSEI. It also urges for the Metropolitan police to investigate those attending DSEI for the crime of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and torture.

It can hide its delegates list, but it can’t hide its complicity

CAAT’s media coordinator Emily Apple said of DSEI:

Government ministers, including David Lammy, are acting as though they are powerless to prevent Israel’s genocide in Gaza. Lammy said he was “horrified” by Israel’s attack on Nasser hospital but he has lied about arms sales, and is doing nothing to prevent the war criminals complicit in this abhorrent attack attending an arms fair in London in two weeks.

Israel is committing genocide. It has created a man-made famine. Babies are dying from starvation. Israel is bombing hospitals and killing journalists. These heart breaking atrocities are war crimes. Nothing could be clearer.

The organisers of DSEI are trying to hide their exhibitors because they know they will face scrutiny for their inclusion of Israeli arms companies, and are trying to hide their complicity. But they cannot hide, and they will face the consequences of their actions.

We demand that the government and the police investigate those attending DSEI for war crimes. But we know the reality is the police are far more likely to attempt to repress those protesting war crimes than investigate the actual war criminals. And we know the reality is that the government is likely to continue shedding crocodile tears while doing everything it can to preserve the profits of arms dealers over Palestinian lives.

Featured image via the Canary