Corbyn repeats accusations that UK Cyprus base is used to deliver arms to Israel
Former leader of the United Kingdom’s Labour Party Jeremy Corbyn has repeated accusations that his country’s air force base in Akrotiri is being used to deliver weaponry to Israel.
Corbyn, who now belongs to Your Party and remains a member of the UK’s House of Commons, told the chamber that evidence of the Akrotiri base being used to supply weapons to Israel is “very powerful”.
“We pride ourselves on being the custodians of international law and order. This country is making itself complicit in the genocide of the people of Palestine by its supply of weapons. It is time to stop,” he said on Thursday night.
He made the initial comments earlier in the week during a “study day” hosted by Akel for European left-wing political parties, and warned that as a result of the British bases’ alleged implication in the Middle East conflict, “Cyprus is becoming increasingly involved”.
His statements come a month after Steve Masters, who served in the RAF as a technician for 19 years, demanded that the UK’s government “release the footage” of the flights launched from Akrotiri over Gaza, which were allegedly gathering intelligence that was shared with Israel.
“The continuing blockage of that footage to the public does nothing to quell the suspicion that we are materially aiding a genocide,” he said, adding that “there is a need for them to be held accountable, and if that means going to the Hague, so be it”.
Corbyn, too, has made comments to the same effect in the past, having previously asked, “what is the purpose, the point of this base other than to support Israel in its illegal occupation of the West Bank and its continued … bombardment of Gaza?”
He said last year that he was “concerned” that the bases “are being used as an intermediary point in flights to Israel by British, and I suspect American planes as well, and are being used for surveillance under Gaza”.
Away from direct involvement in Gaza, the British government last month did not confirm or deny whether Cyprus was its launchpad for a bombing raid carried out on Islamic State targets in Syria, while it had last year denied that its bases in Cyprus had been used as part of the United States’ strikes on nuclear facilities in Iran.