While an Israeli freighter stopped this Thursday, June 5 in Fos-sur-Mer to secretly load military equipment made in France, dockers refused to participate. A disclose investigation and The Ditch reveals that this equipment, intended for an Israeli armament company, raise strong questions about the coherence of French policy vis-à-vis the conflict in Gaza.
On Thursday, June 5, an Israeli cargo cargo was discreetly to embark 14 tonnes of French military equipment at the port of Fos-sur-Mer, near Marseille. But the operation encountered a strong opposition from the dockers, who refuse to charge the goods, according to a joint investigation of the media disclose and The Ditch.
The ship in question, the contestal ERA, beating Israeli pavilion, is supposed to transport this equipment to the port of Haifa, Israel. On board, 19 pallets of “links”, pieces used to connect the cartridges of automatic machine guns. These components, produced by the French company Eurolinks, are intended for Israel Military Industries, a subsidiary of Elbit Systems, one of the Israeli arms giants presented as “the exclusive supplier of Israeli forces”.
A second batch of spare parts, made this time by the French company Aubert and Duval, must also be embarked. These are elements intended for the assembly of cannons, always according to Disclose and The Ditch.
This delivery comes as the diplomatic tension around the war in Gaza remains at its height. While President Emmanuel Macron promised sanctions against Israel for his abuses in Gaza, France continues to provide military components. The French Ministry of the Armed Forces denies it: “France does not provide weapons to Israel,” he said. But the same ministry acknowledges that the Hebrew state remains a “partner”, adding: “We are not going to deprive ourselves of its technology or its skills”.
The contrast is all the more striking that this logistics operation coincides with the departure of a ship of the Freedom Flotilla, on the way to Gaza, this time charged with humanitarian aid. In Fos-sur-Mer, dockers have therefore decided to say no to this cargo, refusing to become the links of a military trade deemed incompatible with their values.
