Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) is launching a new campaign to kick Israel out of DSEI – one of the world’s largest arms fair – which is due to take place at London’s ExCeL centre between 9-12 September 2025.
CAAT is calling on the government, event organisers – Clarion Events – the ExCeL centre, and the London Mayor to take urgent action to ensure that those responsible and complicit for Israel’s genocide are not allowed to attend DSEI.
Israel at DSEI? Hardly surprising.
A petition is calling for the banning of Israel arms companies and the official government invited Israeli delegation, as well as banning Israeli speakers and the Israel country pavilion.
Israel always plays a prominent role at DSEI. with the UK government inviting an official Israeli government delegation. If this happens in 2025, it will be our government rolling out the red carpet to legitimise and enable war criminals coming to shop for even deadlier weapons to wage their genocide against Palestinian people
In 2023, in addition to Brigadier General Dr Danny Gold, head of directorate of defense research and development for the Israeli Ministry of Defence giving a keynote speech, Israel had its own country pavilion with 48 domestic Israeli arms companies exhibiting at the event.
These are companies that are directly responsible for, and directly profiting from, Israel’s genocide in Gaza and the war crimes it is committing in the West Bank and Lebanon. For example, Elbit Systems provides 80% of the drones that the Israeli military use in Palestine.
CAAT argues that there is a clear legal and moral case for banning Israel from DSEI given Israel’s horrific war crimes, the ICJ finding that it is plausible that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, the ICC issuing arrest warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defence minister, Yoav Gallant, and this government imposing a partial arms suspension finding that Israel is not committed to complying with international law.
CAAT: protests to DSEI are crucial
However, CAAT is also clear that even if it achieves this aim, its “protests and opposition to DSEI” will continue. Even if Israeli delegations and companies are banned, there are plenty of domestic arms companies, such as BAE Systems – the main UK producer of the 15% of F-35 combat aircraft that is made in the UK, and that Israel is using to drop 2000lb bombs on Gaza – will still have a massive presence.
They will be joined by top arms companies like Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Raytheon who supply many of the arms Israel is using in Gaza.
CAAT’s Media Coordinator Emily Apple said:
DSEI will be a huge opportunity for Israeli companies to market military equipment that is no longer just “battle-tested” but now genocide tested, on a global level. Every company and government body responsible for Israel’s inclusion at DSEI is complicit in aiding and abetting Israel’s genocide and the commission of war crimes
It is unconscionable that Israeli delegations and arms companies will be allowed to conduct business as usual at DSEI, and it is down to campaigners to do everything they can to kick Israel out of DSEI and stop this from happening.
However, while we believe that banning Israel from the event is a clear moral and legal objective, and one that we hope is achievable, we want to see this disgusting arms fair shut down entirely. DSEI is a massive marketplace in death and destruction. It is a one-stop-shop for human rights abusing regimes to stock up on military equipment to wage wars abroad and repress their populations at home. From Saudi Arabia, to Qatar, to Turkey, DSEI will roll out the red carpet for delegations from human rights abusing regimes across the world.
Featured image via the Canary
