Palestine Action hunger strikers claim victory despite lack of evidence
One of the activists claimed last month that she 'would not compromise until all demands are met'
Incarcerated Palestine Action members have ended a hunger strike after an Israeli Defence company failed to win a major UK government contract, despite there being no evidence to suggest the contract decision was in any way related to their protests.
Representatives for Kamran Ahmed, Heba Muraisi and Lewie Chiaramello announced that the three would not be continuing their protest, after Elbit Systems UK was unsuccessful in its bid to win a British Army training contract. Ahmed and Muraisi had reportedly refused solid foods for more than 70 days, while Chiaramello was said to be refusing food on alternate days due to pre-existing health conditions.
A statement from “Prisoners for Palestine” said that their decision came “as it was revealed that Elbit Systems UK was denied a vital £2 billion army training contract with the Ministry of Defence”. It described “the abrupt cancellation of this deal” as “a resounding victory for the hunger strikers.”
In reality, there was no cancelled deal, but rather a decision by the Ministry of Defence that out of the two consortiums bidding for the contract, the one led by Raytheon UK rather than Elbit was the “better candidate”, according to the Times. The paper had previously revealed that a dossier had been sent to the MoD by a whistleblower, alleging that Elbit had breached business appointment rules – though a subsequent investigation by a senior civil servant found that no rules had been breached.
The hunger strikers had demanded a list of key actions from the British government: End all censorship of their communications in prison, immediate bail for those on remand for Palestine Action related protests, what they described as the “right to a fair trial”, de-proscription of Palestine Action and dropping of the “terrorism connection” attached to activists’ cases by the CPS, and the shutting down of all UK sites of Elbit Systems and subsidiaries, as well as no contracts between Elbit and the British state.
Last month, Muraisi was quoted as saying that she “would not compromise until all demands are met. Long live the intifada.”
Founded in 2020, Palestine Action carried out a campaign of sabotage against businesses which its loosely associated members linked to the Israeli military, however tenuously. While this included direct attacks on UK branches of Israeli defence firms like Elbit, other targets included Jewish charities with Israel links, and a property firm in the heart of the Stamford Hill Jewish community which the group claimed had rented a UK site to an Israeli defence firm. The government proscribed Palestine Action as a terrorist group last year after some of its activists broke into the country’s largest air force base, damaged two planes and then posted video footage on social media.
The High Court held a judicial review late last year regarding the government’s decision to proscribe the organisation. The three judges are now considering their decision, which is expected to be announced in the coming period.
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