What acts of terrorism have Palestine action committed?
Executive summary
Palestine Action is a UK-based direct-action group whose members have repeatedly targeted property linked to Israeli arms company Elbit Systems and, in at least one high-profile incident, penetrated a Royal Air Force base and vandalised military aircraft; these acts of sabotage and trespass were cited by the UK government when it proscribed the group as a terrorist organisation [1] [2]. Supporters and several human-rights bodies dispute that the group's actions meet accepted definitions of terrorism because members have not killed or seriously injured anyone, while government and security analysts say the incidents constitute serious criminality and a threat to national security [3] [2].
1. What Palestine Action says it does and when it began
Palestine Action formed around 2020 as a campaign that uses clandestine direct action — break-ins, vandalism and “material sabotage” — aimed at Elbit Systems and firms it alleges supply Israel’s military, with a stated goal of disrupting arms production and trade [4] [5].
2. Specific incidents attributed to the group
Members have claimed responsibility for repeated attacks on Elbit-linked sites in Britain that primarily involved property damage and sabotage; reporting notes a campaign of factory occupations, spray‑painting, and other damaging acts directed at Elbit facilities [4] [1]. In June 2025 a group breached RAF Brize Norton and sprayed paint into the engines of two Royal Air Force A330 MRTT refuelling aircraft — an act the Home Office and police describe as vandalism at a military base and which directly precipitated moves to proscribe the group [1] [2]. Security commentators and some government accounts say Palestine Action activists also used a prison van to enter and damage Elbit’s Filton factory in 2024, an incident cited as evidence of escalation by critics [5].
3. Criminal designation and parliamentary action
Following the Brize Norton breach, the UK government moved to list Palestine Action under the Terrorism Act 2000 and Parliament voted overwhelmingly to proscribe the group, making membership and support criminal offences with severe penalties [3] [1]. The Home Office justification explicitly referenced the Brize Norton infiltration and other property‑damage episodes as the basis for the designation [1] [2].
4. Challenges to the “terrorist” label and human‑rights concerns
International and civil‑liberties voices have sharply challenged the UK’s move, arguing the proscription stretches terrorism law to encompass property damage and protest and risks curbing legitimate dissent; the UN human‑rights chief and Amnesty International warned that the ban appears to apply terrorism definitions more broadly than international standards recommend, noting that Palestine Action “is not an armed group” and that its members “have not killed or seriously injured anyone nor have they threatened to do so” [3] [2] [1].
5. Competing narratives and possible motives behind designation
Proscription advocates portray the acts — especially the RAF breach — as threats to national security and public safety, framing them as terrorism because they targeted critical state infrastructure and used covert methods [1] [5]. Critics point to lobbying by Elbit and pro‑Israel organisations and argue the state’s response may reflect political pressure and a desire to deter high‑profile disruption rather than a narrow counter‑terrorism imperative [4] [6].
6. How this differs from historical Palestinian armed groups
It is important to separate Palestine Action’s UK-based direct-action sabotage and vandalism from the long history of Palestinian political violence and internationally designated terrorist organisations, which have carried out lethal attacks — including bombings, hijackings and mass-casualty assaults — over decades; historical examples and state designations of groups such as PLO factions, Hamas, and Palestinian Islamic Jihad reflect a distinct category of armed militancy and mass-lethal attacks not evidenced in the documented acts of Palestine Action [7] [8] [9].
Conclusion
The record shows Palestine Action primarily carried out illegal property damage, unlawful entry of sensitive sites and sabotage — including the high‑profile RAF Brize Norton breach and multiple attacks on Elbit-linked facilities — actions that prompted the UK to proscribe the group as “terrorist” even as human‑rights bodies and supporters dispute that the conduct meets conventional thresholds for terrorism because there is no public evidence of killings, hostage‑taking or explicit intent to terrorise a population [1] [3] [2]. The designation therefore sits at the intersection of criminal law, political contestation, and debates over the proper scope of counter‑terrorism powers, with credible arguments on both sides and further legal challenges ongoing [3] [6].