West Bank asks to return donated fire engine over Israeli impound fee

The fire engine contained equipment, PPE, medical supplies and football kits for a children's club

A fire engine donated to Palestinian firefighters could be sent back to Scotland after it was impounded in Israel.

The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) in Scotland donated the vehicle to Nablus Municipality in the West Bank last year, but it was stopped at the Israeli cargo port in Ashdod.

Authorities in Nablus have been presented with £16,000 in port fees, and have now requested that the fire engine is sent back to the UK in order to prevent further costs.

The FBU said keeping the appliance at the port, while the dispute continues, could result in "crippling" costs for the West Bank city.

The union sourced the fire engine, equipment and PPE (personal protective equipment) last year and drove it from Dundee to Southampton.

After a fundraising drive it was then shipped to the Port of Ashdod.

The fire engine was stopped at Israel's Port of Ashdod

The appliance also contained medical supplies and football kits for a children's club in the West Bank.

But port authorities in Israel did not let the vehicle proceed. The FBU said the appliance's right-hand drive was given as the reason for it being impounded.

They also said port authorities would not allow the other aid to continue its journey to the West Bank.

The city of Nablus has been twinned with Dundee since 1980, and Scottish firefighters have previously fundraised to send fire engines to the conflict zone.

In 2011, two retired appliances were impounded by Israeli customs at Haifa Port .

This is believed to be the first time a fire engine faces the prospect of being sent back to the UK.

It is unclear who would ultimately pick up the bill for repatriating the appliance.

SNP MP Stephen Gethins, who is the party's foreign affairs spokesperson, said firefighters in Dundee had been "mucked about" and called the events "a tragedy…that will impact the most vulnerable."

He added that it was "a disgrace when this simple act of kindness is denied".

The fate of the fire engine, which has been impounded for more than a year, has been raised by MPs on a number of occasions.

The UK government's minster for the Middle East, Hamish Falconer, said in March that the Foreign Office had "raised the matter of this donation directly with the Israeli authorities".

The FBU has called on the Foreign Office to make "one final push" in lobbying the Israeli government to allow the appliance to complete its journey.

Meanwhile the Scottish government said it was seeking clarity from the Foreign Office on the status of the fire engine, which it called "an important piece of equipment for the humanitarian response in Gaza".

The Israeli Embassy and the Port of Ashdod have been contacted for comment.