j

Despite being banned, Palestine Action claimed a victory this week. Israeli arms manufacturer Elbit Systems appears to have quietly closed its Bristol factory, which the Guardian reports finding deserted when it visited last week. The site was targeted dozens of times by Palestine Action, including on 1 July, four days before the group was proscribed. Actions included blockades, occupations, smashing windows and spraying the site with red paint. Elbit Systems UK is a subsidiary of Israel’s largest arms producer, which describes itself as the “backbone” of the Israeli Defence Forces’ drone fleet. It also creates systems for military aircrafts, armed remote-control boats and tanks. After being extensively targeted by Palestine Action in 2024, as Israel committed genocide in Gaza, Elbit System UK’s latest accounts show that it made an operating loss of £4.7m, compared with a profit of £3.8m in 2023. Elbit had operated from the Bristol site since 2019, with its lease not due to expire until 2029. It did not respond to a request for comment from the Guardian, but reporters say there were no staff present last week aside from a security guard parked outside the premises. In 2022, Elbit had to permanently abandon its London headquarters after relentless direct action made operating there impossible. Since then it has sold at least two other sites. Although Palestine Action is not currently operating, other direct action groups have picked up the baton. On 26 August, activists from a new group, Palestinian Martyrs for Justice, occupied the roof of an arms factory in the West Midlands. The Palestine Action ban has been subject to extensive protest in the UK, with hundreds of arrests made already. It is set to go before the high court for judicial review in November.