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 designed to disrupt operations at facilities linked to arms exports to Israel.

That characterization became policy on July 5, 2025, when the UK proscribed Palestine Action under its terrorism legislation. Membership in the group became a criminal offense punishable by up to 14 years in prison, effectively making it illegal to support, fund, or participate in the organization on British soil.

The US designation follows roughly 13 months later, creating a transatlantic legal pincer around the group and anyone connected to it.

What the designation actually does

Any assets Palestine Action holds within US jurisdiction are immediately frozen. US banks, financial institutions, and individuals are prohibited from processing transactions on behalf of the group. And because of the extraterritorial reach of US sanctions law, foreign banks and financial institutions that knowingly facilitate transactions for designated entities risk losing access to the US financial system.

For individual supporters, the stakes are also personal. Secondary sanctions can mean frozen bank accounts, seized assets, and a permanent ban from entering the United States. That applies whether someone is a British citizen, a European donor, or anyone else who provides material support to the designated entity.

A broader pattern of escalation

Between 2025 and 2026, the US sanctioned multiple Palestinian-linked entities as part of a broader enforcement push. The UK’s proscription of Palestine Action last year was itself part of a wave of tightening legal frameworks around activist groups that governments classify as domestic security threats.

What makes the Palestine Action case unusual is the group’s origins. This isn’t an armed insurgency or a clandestine network. It’s a protest organization that operated openly, livestreamed its actions, and recruited members through social media. The founders gave interviews and published their strategy publicly.

Civil liberties organizations have raised concerns about what this means for the boundary between activism and terrorism in legal terms. The question isn’t whether Palestine Action’s tactics crossed legal lines. Many clearly did, with participants convicted of criminal damage, aggravated trespass, and conspiracy charges in UK courts.

Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.