All articles tagged with #elbit systems
A Jerusalem Post tour of Elbit’s laser labs explains how the Iron Beam, built by Elbit and integrated with Rafael’s air-defense system, uses fiber lasers and Coherent Beam Combining to shoot down drones from aircraft, outlines airborne laser advantages and challenges (stability, cooling, weather), and discusses potential future deployments on fighters and helicopters with unclear timelines and costs.
Britain’s Court of Appeal has upheld the Home Office’s ban on Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation, overturning a High Court ruling that the move was unlawful. Judges said the group’s core aim is to damage property of Elbit Systems and other UK-trading firms, not merely peaceful protest. The decision follows prosecutions and arrests linked to Palestine Action, including four activists who were sentenced as terrorists for a 2024 Elbit Systems break-in, with the Home Secretary defending the measure as necessary for national security while emphasising that lawful protest remains possible.
Four Palestine Action activists were jailed after a retrial for breaking into the Elbit Systems factory near Bristol, causing about £1.2m in damage and injuring a police officer. Samuel Corner received seven years eight months for criminal damage and grievous bodily harm; Charlotte Head got five years for driving a prison van into the compound; Leona Kamio also received five years; Fatema Rajwani was sentenced to four years eight months. The judge said the acts were designed to influence the government, and the case is noted as a terrorism-connected criminal damage conviction. The raid was livestreamed, protests occurred outside the court, and Palestine Action has been proscribed as a terrorist organisation, though the High Court later ruled the proscription unlawful.
A Woolwich Crown Court in the UK jailed four Palestine Action activists for five to eight years after some were convicted of criminal damage and GBH in a 2024 raid on the Israeli arms maker Elbit Systems; the judge described the act as terrorism, a label supporters dispute, arguing the protest aimed to stop weapons used in Gaza, as debates over Palestine Action’s ban and government policy continue outside the court.
A UK judge for the first time added a terrorism connection to the criminal-damage convictions of four Palestine Action activists who raided an Elbit Systems UK plant, sentencing Leona Kamio and Charlotte Head to six years, Fatema Rajwani to five years eight months, and Samuel Corner to eight years eight months. Jurors had convicted them only of criminal damage, not terrorism. Justice Jeremy Johnson said the acts were intended to intimidate the UK government and public to advance a political cause, allowing a sentencing boost under section 69 of the Sentencing Act. The ruling followed a forensic report estimating about £1.2 million in damage, a report whose timing and reliability were questioned by the defence. Two co-defendants were cleared, and protests gathered outside the court.
Four Palestine Action activists were found guilty of criminal damage for an August 2024 break-in at an Elbit Systems factory near Bristol, where they damaged equipment including drones; Samuel Corner was also convicted of grievous bodily harm for striking a police sergeant with a sledgehammer. Two co-defendants were acquitted. The raid caused about £1m in damage. Sentencing is set for 12 June; the group had been proscribed by the government on 5 July 2025. The defendants argued their actions were justified, while authorities condemned the violence.
Activists from People Against Genocide abseiled into UAV Tactical Systems, a UK subsidiary of Elbit Systems, in Leicester, occupied the roof, drilled through it and breached the clean room used for drone components, potentially halting production. They accuse Elbit and the UK government of enabling what they call genocide in Gaza; Elbit is a major drone supplier and runs parts of the MoD's Project Vulcan, making it a frequent target of anti-war activism.
Six Palestine Action activists accused of involvement in a break-in at Elbit Systems’ Filton site near Bristol will be retried on charges including criminal damage and violent disorder; after the first trial, some counts were undecided and 18 co-defendants had aggravated burglary charges dropped. Samuel Corner previously faced a grievous bodily harm with intent charge. The retrial for Head, Corner, Kamio, Rajwani, Rogers and Devlin is planned for 16 February 2027, with most defendants on bail after about 18 months in custody.
Three Palestine Action hunger-strikers in the UK ended their weeks-long fast after reports that Elbit Systems UK failed to win a UK government contract to train soldiers, a development the group hailed as a victory and a spotlight on arms links to Israel's war; seven activists have resumed eating, with ongoing pressure on authorities over Palestine-related issues.
Eight Palestine Action activists in the UK started hunger strikes; three are currently fasting for 63–70 days with five having ended for health reasons, while Lewie Chiaramello continues on alternating days due to type 1 diabetes. They demand bail and a fair trial, reversal of the group’s terrorist designation, and the closure of Elbit Systems sites alongside an end to prison censorship. Medical estimates say survival without food is typically 45–61 days, so the remaining strikers face life-threatening risk, prompting international concern and calls for proper medical care.
Spain has canceled an €697 million contract for the Israeli-backed SILAM rocket launcher system amid a broader move to impose an arms embargo on Israel, including bans on weapons sales and transit of military equipment through Spanish airspace and ports, as part of Spain’s response to the Gaza conflict and accusations of genocide by Israel.