![Police detain some of the activists at the entrance of the offices of APCO Worldwide, a public relations firm that lobbies for Elbit Systems, Israel's largest arms manufacturer, covered in red paint representing the blood of children in Gaza who got killed during Israeli attacks in London, United Kingdom on September 03, 2024. [Raşid Necati Aslım - Anadolu Agency]](https://i0.wp.com/www.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/AA-20240903-35554825-35554813-DEMONSTRATION_OF_PALESTINE_ACTION_ACTIVISTS_IN_LONDON.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1)
The UK government is under fire following revelations that the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) directly facilitated Israeli interference in ongoing legal proceedings against British Palestine solidarity activists. The controversy centres on the prosecution of the so-called “Filton 18” activists accused of dismantling parts of an Israeli weapons factory in Bristol operated by Elbit Systems, Israel’s largest arms manufacturer.
Documents obtained via a Freedom of Information (FoI) request reveal that, on 9 September 2024, the AGO shared contact details for both the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and SO15 counter-terrorism police with the Israeli Embassy in London. The email, titled “CPS/SO15 contact details”, was reportedly sent by Nicola Smith, the AGO’s Head of International Law and National Security, to Israel’s Deputy Ambassador Daniela Grudsky Ekstein, just days after a meeting between the two.
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The timing of the correspondence has raised serious concerns. It came as an investigation was underway into a protest action by Palestine Action in which drones destined for Israel were reportedly damaged. Ten activists had already been arrested in August under counter-terrorism laws, later labelled excessive use of such legislation by multiple human rights bodies, as well as the UN. In November, a further eight people were detained under similar legislation. No terrorism charges have ultimately been brought, although non-terrorism charges remain pending for several defendants.
Human rights experts and legal observers have warned that the AGO’s actions may breach the principle of prosecutorial independence and violate democratic norms. “Why, for example, did the AGO provide Israeli officials with contact details for the CPS, an independent body?” asked Lydia Dagostino, a solicitor acting on behalf of some of the activists. “What further communication followed and was there influence on prosecutions?”
Palestine Action has characterised the revelations as evidence of direct political interference. “The Israeli Embassy has attempted to interfere in our cases for years,” said a spokesperson for the group. “For the first time, our activists are detained for direct action under counter-terror powers, the CPS pursuing ‘terrorism-connected’ charges. As this unprecedented escalation of state repression happens, the Israeli Embassy has secured direct communication with the CPS and the ‘counter-terror’ police responsible.
“Political interference is forbidden in our legal system, and in the Filton 18 case it has resulted in the most draconian laws being wielded against them. In light of the information uncovered, continuing the prosecution against them is a serious miscarriage of justice. They must be released and all compromised prosecutions of activists and journalists must be stopped.”
The potential breach of UK judicial independence was also flagged in a November 2024 letter from four UN special rapporteurs, who condemned the “apparently unjustified use” of counter-terrorism laws against Palestine solidarity protesters. Those arrested in August 2024 were reportedly held for up to eight days without charge, some without immediate access to legal counsel. The rapporteurs warned about using such legislation in a case which “does not appear to be genuinely ‘terrorist’ according to international standards.”
A heavily redacted record of the August meeting between the AGO and Israeli officials leaves unanswered questions about the full extent of the collaboration. However, prior disclosures indicate that the Israeli Embassy has previously requested the AGO’s intervention in legal cases involving Israeli interests. Although the CPS has formally asserted its independence, critics argue that back-channel coordination may have compromised that position.
Clare Rogers, mother of one of the Filton 18, called the revelations “sickening,” saying: “My 21-year-old daughter Zoe has been in prison for eight months without trial and counting. She took action against Elbit because she couldn’t sit on her hands and do nothing while her government committed war crimes by supplying arms to Israel.”
This latest scandal adds to growing criticism of the UK’s wider complicity in Israel’s genocide in Gaza. The British government continues to allow arms exports to Israel, while Royal Air Force surveillance flights over Gaza have persisted even during ceasefires, a practice that human rights lawyers say may make UK officials complicit in war crimes.
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