Activists from Palestine Action this morning occupied the Aviva Centre in Bristol, with one protester climbing the overhang while another spray-painted the front glass of the building. Aviva provides the mandatory employer’s liability insurance for UAV Engines in Staffordshire, a drone engine factory owned by Israel’s biggest weapons manufacturer, Elbit Systems. While recent disclosures show Aviva no longer holds direct shares in Elbit Systems, the company holds investments in funds which hold Elbit shares. “By insuring UAV Engines, Aviva is facilitating the design and production of drone engines used to power Israel’s killer drone fleet”, said Palestine Action in a statement, noting that the insurance company’s own ‘ethics code’ says the company has “an obligation to ensure our business activities do not cause or contribute to violations of human rights of others”.

As the fragile ceasefire in Gaza holds for now, the Israeli military yesterday began a lethal operation in the West Bank, killing at least 9 Palestinians and injuring dozens in the city of Jenin. Many of those killings will also have been conducted using air strikes and drones involving parts designed and built in Britain.