Miliband says some 'terrorism' is justified as UK implicated in death of Gaza civilians

UK arms manufacturers implicated in Israel state terror in Gaza, says parliamentary committee reports. The news follows the admission by the UK's foreign secretary that some 'terrorism' is justified which is why he picked Joe Slovo as one of his heroes in a recent BBC radio show. David Miliband said: 'There are circumstances in which terrorism can be justified.' Miliband is of course absolutely correct that the destruction of Apartheid South Africa - which framed the context for his remarks - was justified by any means necessary. Why should the same not apply in the Middle East, and the liberation of Palestine in particular Mr Miliband? Joe Slovo was a friend of David's father Ralph Miliband who was one of Britain's foremost Marxist intellectuals. Shame his sons never absorbed the meaning of his most famous work which debunked the idea of being able to achieve socilaism through a parliamentary system in a fundamentally undemocratic state.

Israeli weapons used against Palestinian civilians in Gaza contained components made in the UK, as did equipment used by the Sri Lankan army against the Tamil Tigers, according to the Committee on Arms Export Controls.

In its report 'Scrutiny of Arms Export Controls (2009)', the committee – which is made up from members of Business, Defence, Foreign Affairs, and International Development committees – quoted cases where uncontrolled UK-made parts and components for military and security equipment were believed to have been used in various regions of instability, including Land Rover vehicles used by Azeri military and UK traders allegedly involved in the transfer of electronic components for improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in Iraq.

The committee called on the government to tighten up controls on the export of military equipment, even to countries that may not be at war at the time but are known to be unstable and prone to future conflicts. The committee also called for a register of UK arms brokers to be created.

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