Elbit products involved in violations of international law

Elbit Systems Ltd. (referred to also as Elbit Systems, Elbit, ESL) is an Israeli weapons systems and surveillance technology manufacturer. ^[0] There are multiple international monitoring bodies' reports with publicly accessible information about cases of international law violations and abuses of human rights related to and supplied by Elbit's weaponry and surveillance tools. ^[1] This data seems to point at the logical conclusion that Elbit is prioritizing profit over the well-being of human populations.

Elbit's complicity in worldwide human rights violations

There is a clear documentation of Elbit arming military violence towards the Palestinian population and their civilian infrastructures. For instance, the January 26 2024, ruling of the International Court of Justice stated that Israel is violating the Genocide Convention. ^[2]

Despite the repeated reports by the UN Special Rapporteurs highlighting the genocidal acts done by the Israeli army, to whom Elbit is the main arms supplier, international cooperation with Elbit continues. As an example we can mention one of the most recent contracts obtained by Elbit Systems amounting to more than £2 billion invested into training the British military. ^[3] This is while the UK has recently faced scrutiny for breaching its own laws by mistreating its citizens during protests and detention, ^[4] pointing out that at the same time, Elbit is willing to overlook potential ethical implications of forging business ties with world governments.

Furthermore, the arms company is complicit in human rights violations on the USA-Mexico border (see our Elbit-ICE article), simultaneously providing the technology for the West Bank barrier, often referred to as "Wall of Apartheid" in the occupied Palestinian territory. ^[5] Another example of Elbit's complicity in human rights violations across the world is its cooperation with parties involved in the conflicts over Kashmir and Nagorno-Karabakh. ^[6]

Together with exploiting grey zones in international trade law, multiple pieces of evidence suggest that Elbit Systems has been following arms trade regulations only on paper. A case in point is the example of a dozen of Elbit's UK subsidiaries continuing to supply the firm during the ongoing atrocities done by the Israeli military in the Gaza Strip. ^[7] What also points to this conclusion is its position as the 24th largest global arms producer with contracts spanning multiple conflict zones, and ongoing calls for criminal investigations into its export activities. ^[8] These are some of the numerous sources demonstrating that Elbit operates with relatively few international export restrictions compared to other arms manufacturers. ^[9]

The IDF-Elbit link and internationally recognized crimes

The president and CEO of Elbit Systems Ltd. since 2013, Bezhalel Machlis, who entered ESL in 1991, ^[10] used to be a colonel in the Israeli army (IDF), ^[11] while the IDF has been severely violating human rights in the West Bank and Gaza for decades. ^{[12] [13]} In June 2024, the designated United Nations Commission on the matter published a report detailing war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by Israeli forces since October 2023. ^[14]

In the same month, the Human Rights Council demanded an immediate cessation of "the transfer of arms, munitions, and other military equipment to Israel," ^[15] as such transfers "may constitute serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian laws and risk states' complicity in international crimes, possibly including genocide." The weapons and surveillance technology by Elbit are being continuously marketed as "field tested", which often implies they have been used in contexts of armed violence involving civilians, such as in Palestine. ^[16]

It becomes evident that the military technology company Elbit Systems is neither an ethics-centered business nor just a neutral manufacturer, but an active participant in global cases of unjust violence and mistreatment of human lives. This article is the first part of a series dedicated to the international imprint of the military technology company Elbit Systems.

Part II focuses on Elbit's involvement in bribery scandals, leading to its major tenders being suspended, and the Czech link in these events.