A public meeting called for Cumbrian companies to stop all involvement in supplying materials and components for F35 warplanes used by Israel in its attacks on Gaza. 

Organised by South Lakeland and Lancaster District Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), speakers from the Campaign Against the Arms Trade (CAAT), Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) and the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) cited local companies James Cropper subsidiary Technical Fibre Products and BAE Systems.

They noted that Israel's F35 jets have played a prominent role in many Gaza attacks and called out James Cropper PLC which they say has yet to respond to campaigners' calls for a halt to the supply of materials.

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Spokesperson Philip Gilligan said after the meeting at the Friends Meeting House in Kendal: "After the deaths of over 14,000 Palestinian children and the finding by the International Court of Justice (IJC) that Israel’s actions in Gaza could amount to genocide, it is surely morally unacceptable that many months after first being asked about their role in the manufacture of Israel's F35s, James Cropper PLC has still made no public statement relevant to the issue.

"We can only hope that Croppers will eventually tell us that they are no longer willing to supply the materials which have aided Israel in the atrocities it has committed in Gaza. We shall certainly continue to campaign to stop them doing so."

(Image: South Lakeland and Lancaster District Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND)) A spokesperson for BAE said: "The situation in Israel and Gaza is having a devastating impact on civilians in the region and we hope it can be resolved as soon as possible.

"We respect everyone’s right to protest peacefully.

"We operate under the tightest regulation and comply fully with all applicable defence export controls, which are subject to ongoing assessment."

We have contacted  James Cropper PLC for comment.