“Israeli” Arms Firm Shuts UK Site After Activist Pressure

By Staff, Agencies

An "Israeli" arms manufacturer’s facility in Bristol which was repeatedly disrupted by Palestine Action appears to have closed unexpectedly.

The Elbit Systems UK site in the Aztec West business park was the subject of dozens of protests by Palestine Action, including on 1 July, days before the direct-action group was banned under the blacklist.

Elbit has held the lease since 2019 and it was not due to expire until 2029. The protests included blockades using lock-ons, occupying the roof, smashing windows and dousing the site in red paint.

Elbit Systems UK is a subsidiary of Elbit Systems, which is "Israel’s" largest arms producer. Elbit Systems, which had revenues of $6.8bn [£5bn] last year, describes itself as the “backbone” of the "Israeli" Occupation Forces’ [IOF] drone fleet, which has been used extensively in the assault on Gaza.

Its portfolio also includes systems for military aircraft and helicopters, armed remote control boats, land vehicles and for command and control.

There were no staff present aside from a security guard stationed in a vehicle parked outside the premises.

The site was previously owned by Somerset Council, which was also targeted by Palestine Action before selling the property last year.

Before it was proscribed, Palestine Action ran a campaign targeting the company’s UK sites and connected firms, which escalated significantly after "Israel’s" aggression on Gaza on October 7, 2023. Elbit System UK’s latest accounts show that it made an operating loss of £4.7m last year, compared with a profit of £3.8m in 2023.

Andrew Feinstein, an expert and author on the global arms trade and former member of the South African national assembly, described the closure as “extremely significant”.

“We need to remind ourselves that Elbit [Systems] is one of the two most important 'Israeli' arms films, along with IAI, that is it is obviously a key component of IOF’s military industrial complex,” he added.