US Military Aid to Israel Continues Despite Evidence of Genocide

 

 

 

According to Mizan News Agency, reports indicate that a cargo flight carrying 14 tons of explosive-grade nitrocellulose was scheduled to depart from John F. Kennedy International Airport on Saturday, May 10, bound for the Israeli arms company IMI Systems. The flight, which took place amid the escalation of the Israeli regime’s attacks on Gaza, has raised serious safety and ethical concerns.

According to air transport documents, this shipment is one of the largest known transfers of explosives through the aforementioned airport.

The bill of lading details 51 packages containing nitrocellulose. Nitrocellulose is a volatile chemical compound widely used in the production of munitions, including sniper rifle bullets, artillery shells and other battlefield munitions.

Flight records reviewed by The Intercept show that the shipment was carried by Israel’s Challenge Airlines, which was scheduled to depart from John F. Kennedy Airport on Saturday afternoon and arrive at Ben Gurion Airport on Sunday, May 11.

The recipient of the shipment was IMI Systems, now a subsidiary of Elbit Systems, a major supplier to the Israeli military and manufacturer of a wide range of weapons, including rocket launchers, cluster munitions and other weapons of war used in the ongoing operation against Gaza.

The shipment originated in a Los Angeles-area zip code, although the manufacturer of the chemicals remains unknown. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates JFK, and Elbit Systems declined to comment on the shipment.

“This is not only a threat to Palestinians, but to workers and civilians here in New York,” said Aisha Nizar, an organizer with the Palestine Youth Movement.

“These weapons are a threat to our communities in New York and once again demonstrate the complete coordination between the Zionist project and the American ruling class, who are currently waging a war to destroy the Palestinian people.”

The group cited the Tianjin Port disaster in China in 2015, where improperly stored nitrocellulose caused explosions that killed 173 people. Cargo flights land on shared runways at JFK, raising concerns among activists about safety protocols and the proximity of the fugitive cargo to civilian terminals.

While John F. Kennedy has long facilitated the clandestine transfer of weapons to the occupied territories, including tear gas, small arms ammunition, and aircraft parts, this is the first publicly documented shipment of nitrocellulose.

Roman Shortall, a journalist for the newspaper De Dichter, who helped confirm the shipment, told The Intercept that the shipment indicates a deeper logistical role for the United States in enabling the war on Gaza.

The US government has approved more than $17.9 billion in military aid to Israel in the past year alone, including the release of stockpiles and direct purchases from US military companies.

Human rights groups believe that such aid has directly contributed to the mass killing of civilians and the destruction of vital infrastructure in Gaza.

“JFK has served as a coordination point for the shipment of ammunition, small arms cartridges, explosives and aircraft parts to support the Israeli military during the nearly two-year genocide in Gaza,” Nizar added.

This shipment is not unique. Pro-Palestinian groups have tracked similar arms shipments through Port Elizabeth, New Jersey, and the US military’s main weapons terminal in North Carolina.

Some of the shipments reportedly violated international arms embargoes, such as those imposed by Spain.

Belgian broadcaster RTBF also reported that Israel’s Challenger Airlines was transporting the weapons from JFK to Brussels before continuing on to Tel Aviv, raising concerns among experts about European involvement in the arms corridor.

Meanwhile, Elbit Systems, the recipient of the shipment, operates globally with facilities in the US, UK, Australia and across Europe. The company has been the target of numerous protests at its sites in Virginia (South Carolina) and most recently in New Hampshire.

The shipment of 14 tons of nitrocellulose comes as the Israeli regime has intensified its attacks on Gaza.