The US Department of the Treasury imposed sanctions on the UK-based group Palestine Action on Wednesday, designating it a specially designated global terrorist and describing it as a “transnational terror group.”
The designation allows Washington to freeze the assets of foreign individuals and entities linked to the organisation and bars US persons from dealings with it. Palestine Action is a direct action network known for protests targeting arms manufacturers and companies tied to Israel.
The Treasury cast the group as an entity conducting a campaign of property damage and disruption. The measure extends US financial reach against an organisation based outside its borders, applying terrorism-related tools usually reserved for larger networks.
The US move lands as the group pursues a legal challenge in Britain against its proscription there. That case is nearing a hearing before the UK Supreme Court, where lawyers are contesting the British government’s decision to ban the organisation under counter-terrorism law.
The British proscription placed Palestine Action alongside groups outlawed under UK terror legislation, making membership or support a criminal offence. Supporters argue the designation criminalises protest, while the government has defended it as a response to unlawful actions.
Sanctions of this type have been used before to align US and allied financial pressure. In previous coordinated actions, Washington and London have moved together on shared targets, as seen when the two governments revised overlapping Iran-related designations.
The Supreme Court hearing on the UK proscription is the next scheduled step in the case.