Elham Asaad Buaras
Elbit Systems UK, a subsidiary of Israel’s largest arms manufacturer, has closed its Bristol facility in Aztec West following repeated protests by Palestine Action.
The site, leased since 2019, was found deserted except for a lone security guard. The Bristol facility had been targeted by Palestine Action on multiple occasions. On July 1, protesters carried out a blockade and occupied the roof—just days before the group was proscribed under the UK Terrorism Act. In previous actions, they had also smashed windows and doused the site in red paint. The campaign escalated further after Israel’s assault on Gaza, intensifying the group’s direct action against the facility.
Elbit Systems UK is part of a global company with £5bn in revenue last year. The parent company describes itself as the “backbone” of the Israel Defence Forces’ drone fleet, which has been heavily deployed in Gaza. Its portfolio also includes systems for military aircraft, helicopters, remote-controlled boats, land vehicles, and command-and-control platforms.
The closure follows rising financial pressures, with Elbit Systems UK reporting an operating loss of £4.7m in 2024, down from a profit of £3.8m in 2023, partly attributed to security costs incurred from repeated UK protests.
Andrew Feinstein, an expert on the global arms trade, described the closure as “extremely significant”, noting, “We need to remind ourselves that Elbit (Systems) is one of the two most important Israeli arms firms, along with IAI. It is obviously a key component of Israel’s military-industrial complex.”
Elbit has previously exited other UK operations following protests. In 2022, it sold Ferranti P&C in Oldham after 18 months of demonstrations, and its West Midlands subsidiary, Elite KL (now Calatherm), was sold after a 75% drop in profits, which the company attributed to security costs and activist targeting. The new owners cut all ties with Elbit and cancelled defence contracts.
In August, Private Eye revealed that Elbit Systems UK was part of a consortium nearing a £2bn Ministry of Defence contract, which would make it a “strategic partner” of the MoD. The FT reported that former Labour cabinet minister Peter Hain wrote to Defence Secretary Jon Healey, urging that the contract is not awarded to the company, citing “the devastation unfolding in Gaza.”
Despite limited Dutch and European sanctions on Israel, the UK continues to supply components for Israel’s F-35 fighter jets through ports such as Rotterdam. These jets have been used in airstrikes on Gaza, contributing to the deaths of more than 64,000 people since October 2023, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.
Palestine Action has been granted permission for a judicial review of the decision to proscribe the group. The Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, is scheduled to challenge this permission at a Court of Appeal hearing on September 25.
Photo: Elbit Systems UK facility in Aztec West, Bristol, where British activists from Palestine Action have repeatedly targeted the site, hanging Palestinian flags and toys on the fences as part of protests against the company’s role in supplying drones and military equipment to Israel. The facility, leased since 2019, was found deserted on March 23, 2024, amid escalating demonstrations and direct action. (Credit:Burak Bir/AA)
