Oakland International Airport exposed as a shipping hub of military cargo to Israel

Oakland, Calif., Sept. 18 — Several hundred San Francisco Bay area activists and Palestinian supporters gathered for a press conference here today at the Oakland International Airport bringing to light a new report that exposes the airport’s hidden and central role in shipping military cargo directly to the Israeli military. The, up to this point, clandestine shipments includes F-35 fighter jet components essential for the functioning of Israel’s fleet that are currently leveling Gaza as the world stands by.

The report entitled: “Exposing Oakland Airport’s Military Cargo Shipments to Israel” released by the Palestine Youth Movement (PYM) documented that these shipments sent from Oakland were not occasional but were sent multiple times a week throughout 2025, resulting in 280 military shipments so far this year. Most of these shipments went directly to Nevatim Airbase in Israel, home to its F-35 fleet and the location where they are repaired and maintained. Many of the items being shipped are precise mechanisms that enables the F-35 to flying precise bombing runs with lethal accuracy, including the bomb’s release units that are fitted to carry 2,000 pound bombs.

The Oakland People’s Arms Embargo

Following the release of the information disclosing the Oakland International Airport as a material conduit to genocide, a new coalition was quickly assembled by the PYM, Arab Resource and Organizing Center (AROC Action) and the US Palestinian Community Nework (USPCN) to launch a campaign entitled Oakland People’s Arms Embargo (OPAE).

In a press release from OPAE today the campaign has already received over 80 organizational endorsements and it joins, according to Amnesty International, over 230 other coalitions and groups that are calling for all F-35 program partners to halt arms transfers to Israel from around the world.

It should be remembered that the F-35’s are made right here in the US by Lockheed Martin and those killing machines combined with the Israeli military’s ground invasion has killed over 60,000 Palestinians based on the statistics from the Gaza Ministry of Health. We know those numbers are low and don’t included the thousands and thousands of children and families buried beneath the rubble of the F-35’s constant bombardment of Gaza.

Speakers and those present at today’s press conference at the Oakland International Airport included longtime supporters of Palestine and the Longshoremen who have blocked unloading Israeli goods at the Port of Oakland on numerous occasions over the years and it also included the new generation of committed activists and organizers determined to end the genocide. This new period will necessitate creative acts of resistance including as several speakers mentioned; direct action.

The press conference ended with a march through the drop off area of the Oakland International Airport.

for more information visit: oakland@armsembargonow.com

Source: Resumen Latinoamericano – English