Seen are Kancha Ilaiah Shepherd, Brinda Karat, Prashant Bhushan, Jean Dreze, & Sidharth Bhatia

New Delhi: India should halt weapons exports to Israel as such trade is in violation of international law, prominent activists and civil society groups said on Thursday.

In a letter to India's Defence Ministry, they claimed that several local companies have been granted permits to export arms, drones and explosives to Israel.

"The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has clearly ruled that Israel is in violation of obligations under the Genocide Convention and further that Israel is in illegal occupation of the Palestinian territories.

“In light of these rulings, any supply of military material to Israel would amount to a violation of India's obligations under international humanitarian law," the letter dated July 30 said.

Its signatories include award-winning author Arundhati Roy, economist Jean Dreze, prominent lawyer Prashant Bhushan, and many retired judges and bureaucrats.

"We want Indian weapons exports to Israel to stop immediately," Roy said a press conference addressed by a group of activists on Thursday.

Agencies