Ban Israeli military flights from UK airspace, demand Scottish Greens

Israeli military flights should be banned from UK airspace, the Scottish Greens have demanded, as they continued to press for a ban on arm sales to Israel.

There have been growing numbers of voices calling for the UK to end arms sales to Israel following the killing of three British citizens in an airstrike in Gaza.

They were among the seven World Central Kitchen (WCK) aid workers who were killed in an attack by the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) on Monday.

But Scottish Greens are also demanding action to stop Israeli military planes using UK air space.

With party co-leader Lorna Slater insisted the Greens will “not stand back and be complicit in slaughter” she insisted that more should be done.

Ms Slater, speaking at the Scottish Green spring conference in Edinburgh, said that pressure from Greens and others meant that “Israeli military flights are now banned from using the publicly owned Prestwick airport”.

But she added: “One airport is not enough.

“The Scottish Greens are calling for Israeli military flights to be banned from all UK airspace, and an immediate halt to all UK arms sales to Israel.”

She said: “We will not stand back and be complicit in slaughter. We will never support genocide.

“We will always stand up for human rights and with the people of Gaza.”

Monday’s airstrike has led to widespread calls from MPs from all major parties to end UK arms sales to Israel, as well as a letter signed by more than 600 lawyers, including former Supreme Court justices.

While Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has stressed the UK has always followed a “very careful export licensing regime”, Ms Slater was critical of his Government’s stance.

“When we see a genocide happening we try to stop it,” she said.

“The UK Government tries to arm those perpetrating it.”

The Green MSP said “in the last 10 years the UK has licensed at least £500 million worth of arms sales to Israel” and added that those weapons had been “used to inflict untold misery on an entire population”.

With the prospect of an arms embargo now “real” she insisted that this “must be achieved”.

Green councillor Alys Mumford said calls for an end to arms sales to Israel had only been stepped up because “white western aid workers are murdered” branding this “deep, naked racism”.

She said: “Green councillors across Scotland are doing all they can to show solidarity with Palestine.

“From Shetland to Edinburgh, the Highlands to East Lothian, we have successfully persuaded our councils to support a ceasefire.”