Extreme-left officials welcomed the move and called for an “embargo on genocidal weapons”

But French Armed Forces Ministry says ”France is not supplying weapons to Israel.”

French dockworkers at the port of Marseille-Fos  refused to load military components that were due to leave for Israel on Thursday. Hard left trade union CGT explained the action by its refusal to “participate in the ongoing genocide orchestrated by the Israeli government”.

The trade union which represents dockworkers and port personnel at Fos-sur-Mer said the cargo contains 19 pallets of ammunition belt links manufactured by Eurolinks, a Marseille-based company which produces components for automatic weapons.

The container was scheduled to be shipped from Marseille to the Israeli port of Haifa.

The union said it was able to locate the container after being alerted by several activist networks.

Eurolinks produces metallic links used to connect rounds in machine guns, allowing them to be fired in rapid succession.

“The port of Marseille-Fos must not be used to supply the Israeli army. Dockworkers and port employees at the Gulf of Fos will not be complicit in the ongoing genocide orchestrated by the Israeli government,’’ the union said.

The French Armed Forces Ministry rejected the union’s claims. “France is not supplying weapons to Israel,” it told public radio FranceInfo.

In line with the licence given to Eurolinks, the links are assembled in Israel, but the final product is then re-exported back to other countries, including France, the ministry said, adding that Israel remains “a partner”.

“We’re not going to deprive ourselves of either its technology or its skills,” it stated.

The leaders of the extrelme-left and Socialist parties both  hailed the dockers’ action, calling for an “embargo now on the weapons of genocide.’’