Barclays Divest from Elbit Systems After Palestine Action's Direct Action Campaign

After a year-long campaign against its premises by Palestine Action and local community groups, Barclays PLC has sold all of its shareholdings in Elbit Systems Ltd (ELST). Until recently, Barclays owned over 16,000 shares in Elbit Systems, Israel’s largest weapons company.

Starting just over one year ago, Palestine Action’s campaign saw activists undertake 54 actions against Barclays premises nation-wide. Smashing branch windows, spraying them in blood-red paint, many of these actions put Barclays sites out of operation for weeks, actions which sought to raise the costs associated with dealing with Elbit.

In the latest U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filings, Barclays owned 0 shares in Elbit Systems Ltd (ELST) [1], down 16,345 since the previous filing, 15th May 2024, worth over $3,400,000 [2].

Until then, recent filings had showed Barclays’ Elbit shareholdings at record high quantities [3], having steadily increased from zero ten years ago. The most recent SEC filings and NASDAQ data record an immediate total sale of Barclays’ ELST shares [4], abruptly sold just when Palestine Action’s campaign hit them hardest.