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Public commenter urges county action on Elbit Systems over alleged wartime conduct
Summary
A member of the public asked Charleston County Council to disassociate from Elbit Systems, arguing the defense company has been implicated in civilian deaths overseas and should not be supported with local tax dollars.
Matt Mosberg addressed council during public comment urging local action against Elbit Systems, an international defense contractor. Mosberg said the company is "complicit in war crimes" and urged the county not to engage with it as a community partner. "It's not a business that we should be engaged with as a community, and it is also a source of blood money that is coming from our hard earned tax dollars to kill, innocent civilians in ongoing atrocity," Mosberg said.
Mosberg said Elbit markets some systems as "battle tested" and accused the company of testing weapons on civilians in conflicts abroad. He said recent reporting indicated hundreds of children had been killed in the most recent escalation he referenced. "In the last week, over 400 confirmed children have been killed," he said. Mosberg concluded by reminding the council of the group organizing locally to oppose Elbit's presence.
The council did not take a formal action in response to the comment during the meeting; Mosberg’s remarks were recorded during the public-comment period.
