PALESTINE supporters deliberately crashed two vans into the entrance of an Israeli-owned arms factory in Staffordshire to bring production to a halt today.

Volunteers from direct action group Palestine Action carried out the attack, and six activists chained themselves to the vehicles after crashing them to prevent their removal.

The attack took place at Israeli-owned Elbit Systems UAV Engines factory at Shenstone in Staffordshire.

Police closed the road leading to the factory soon after the attack.

Palestine Action has for two years been targeting the factories and offices of Israeli-owned Elbit Systems.

The company manufactures drones and pilotless aircraft which it sells to the Israeli military.

The weapons have been used against the people of Gaza where two million Palestinians, most of them refugees, are packed onto a strip of coastal land. Elbit advertises the weapons as “field tested.”

A Palestine Action spokesperson said: “This action is the latest in the #ShutElbitDown campaign, intent on driving up pressure on Israel’s largest arms company to leave.

“Many are now realising that when your own government actively supports the oppression of other nations, you have not only a right to disrupt this, but also a duty to.

“Day by day, Israel’s impunity is crumbling, and with it, people are flocking to take direct action at every level to end the daily violence Palestinians face.”

Palestine Action’s campaign has met with successes. An Elbit factory at Oldham in Greater Manchester and a headquarters office in London have been permanently closed by the company following attacks.

Elbit has four remaining factories and four offices in the UK.