A fire engine donated by Dundee firefighters to colleagues in the West Bank city of Nablus may be returned to Scotland after being impounded by Israeli authorities for 15 months. The appliance, which is fully equipped, has been held at Ashdod port since last July, and port authorities have sent the municipality of Nablus a bill for £16,000 in accrued storage fees.
Jim Malone of the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) said the union is now in talks with the UK government about repatriating the vehicle to avoid leaving Nablus with the high costs. The retired appliance, retrofitted with right-hand drive, contains first aid equipment and supplies for a children's football team. It was driven from Dundee to Southampton and then shipped to Ashdod.
Efforts by the FBU to secure its release through both the Israeli and UK governments have so far failed. Malone, a former Dundee firefighter, expressed frustration: “There’s a real hurt that you feel that it’s sitting in a port doing nothing.”
Dundee is twinned with Nablus, and firefighters have regularly donated kit, equipment and medical supplies to the West Bank over the past 15 years, as well as bringing Palestinian firefighters to Scotland for training. While previous donations were often delayed, this is the longest seizure.
The Scottish government has raised the issue with the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), which has discussed the matter with Israeli authorities. An FCDO spokesperson said: “The UK continues to call on Israel to increase humanitarian and commercial access into the Palestinian territories.”
