Belgium seizes arms shipment sent from Britain to Israel

Belgian authorities seize undeclared UK military components bound for Israel, exposing a potential breach of a national arms transit ban and raising questions about export controls. | Contesto: cronaca

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• Belgium seizes arms shipment sent from Britain to Israel

Contesto

Belgian authorities seized two shipments of undeclared military components from Britain bound for Israel at Liege Airport on March 24, 2026, enforcing a national ban on the transit of arms to Israel through Belgian territory or airspace. The consignments, which left Britain a day earlier, were intercepted following an alert from a coalition of investigative journalists and activist groups. A specialized engineer's search revealed the cargo contained "fire control systems and spare parts for military aircraft," items that had not been properly declared for transit through Belgium. The seizure has triggered a criminal investigation by Belgian authorities, who have so far declined to publicly name the firms involved. However, the Walloon regional government identified one of the companies as Moog, an American aerospace firm with manufacturing facilities in Britain. According to the British investigative website Declassified, which helped uncover the shipment, a postcode linked to Moog's factory in Wolverhampton was used to send items to Israel via Belgium as recently as last December. Moog manufactures actuators for the M-346 aircraft, a model used to train Israeli pilots. Sources involved in tracking the shipments revealed the components were exported from the UK under an Open Individual Export Licence, classified broadly as "aircraft and related components" rather than explicitly as military goods. These sources further indicated that at least 17 consignments from Moog have been moved from the UK to Liege Airport en route to Israel, suggesting a pattern of regular transfers. A freedom of information request also revealed that the British Foreign Office holds no records of correspondence with Belgium concerning the transit of such military components. The incident highlights a stark divergence in policy between the UK and Belgium regarding arms exports to Israel. In September 2024, the British government suspended 30 out of 350 arms export licences to Israel, citing a "clear risk" the equipment could be used to violate international humanitarian law in Gaza. A spokesperson for Britain's Department for Business and Trade stated the UK has "suspended all licences...

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Categoria: cronaca