US imposes sanctions on Palestine Action, designating UK activist group as terrorist entity

The US Treasury Department has designated Palestine Action, a UK-based activist group, as a specially designated global terrorist entity through its Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). The move freezes all US-held assets belonging to the organization and bars American individuals and entities from any dealings with it. Supporters of the group, regardless of nationality, now face the threat of secondary sanctions, potential asset freezes, and lifetime bans on entering the US. It’s the kind of designation typically reserved for organizations like Hamas and al-Qaeda, and it puts a protest movement in the same regulatory category as armed militant groups. From protest movement to proscribed organization Palestine Action was founded on July 30, 2020, by Huda Ammori and Richard Barnard. The group built its identity around direct action tactics targeting Israeli defense contractors operating in the UK, with a particular focus on Elbit Systems, Israel’s largest privately held defense company. By March 2025, the group had claimed responsibility for over 385 direct actions across the UK. Those actions included occupations of factory sites, vandalism of corporate offices, and blockades d...