Akrotiri, Cyprus. Former UK Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn has repeated accusations that the UK air force base in Akrotiri is being used to deliver weaponry to Israel. He told the House of Commons that evidence supporting the claim is “very powerful”.
Comments in the House of Commons and at an Akel event
Corbyn, who now belongs to Your Party and remains a member of the UK’s House of Commons, said the UK is “making itself complicit in the genocide of the people of Palestine by its supply of weapons” and called for it to stop, speaking on Thursday night.
He first made the comments earlier in the week during a “study day” hosted by Akel for European left-wing political parties, warning that the British bases’ alleged role in the Middle East conflict meant “Cyprus is becoming increasingly involved”.
Calls to release footage of flights over Gaza
Corbyn’s remarks come a month after Steve Masters, who served in the RAF as a technician for 19 years, demanded the UK government “release the footage” of flights launched from Akrotiri over Gaza, which were allegedly gathering intelligence shared with Israel.
Masters said that blocking the footage “does nothing to quell the suspicion that we are materially aiding a genocide,” adding that “there is a need for them to be held accountable, and if that means going to the Hague, so be it”.
Previous statements on the purpose of the base
Corbyn has made similar comments in the past, previously asking, “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?”
Last year, he said 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”.
UK government statements on other operations
Separately, the British government last month did not confirm or deny whether Cyprus was its launchpad for a bombing raid on Islamic State targets in Syria. It had last year denied that its bases in Cyprus were used as part of the United States’ strikes on nuclear facilities in Iran.
What do you make of the calls for the UK government to release footage of flights launched from Akrotiri over Gaza?