US issues sanctions against UK-based direct action group Palestine Action

The United States has imposed sanctions on the UK-based direct action organization Palestine Action, labeling it as a "transnational terror group." The Treasury Department designated Palestine Action as a specially designated global terrorist, which allows the U.S. to freeze the assets of foreign individuals and entities. This makes Palestine Action the first direct action group to be proscribed under the UK's Terrorism Act, which was established in July of the previous year.

The sanctions were announced by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who stated that political terrorism will not be tolerated and the U.S. will use all economic tools to cut off the financial lifelines of these groups. The co-founder of Palestine Action, Huda Ammori, challenged the UK ban in court, arguing that their activities were aimed at saving lives by disrupting the Israeli war machine.

She criticized the Trump administration's decision to adopt the designation, stating that it creates a blueprint for authoritarian governments to suppress political dissent and criminalize British citizens who travel or live abroad. The U.S. Treasury website reported that Palestine Action has supported numerous acts of terrorism since July 2020, including acts that have physically injured UK law enforcement personnel and caused millions of dollars' worth of damage to military equipment.