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London, UK – In the early hours of 10th February 2025, Palestine Action struck again at ‘Eagle Strategic Consulting Ltd.’, the weapons consultancy firm owned by Richard Applegate. Activists from Palestine Action smashed the door of Eagle Strategic Consulting’s London registered office and sprayed red paint into the building.
Applegate, Elbit’s former Chairman, is the current Head of Strategy and New Business for Elbit Systems UK and serves as Director for Elbit’s drone-producing subsidiaries in Britain [1]. This is the third direct action taken against this company, and Palestine Action will continue to escalate its campaign until the arms dealers behind the Israeli occupation are held to account.
Elbit Systems is a leading Israeli arms manufacturer that produces drones, surveillance systems, and a range of other weapons that are directly used by the Israeli military in its illegal occupation of Palestine [2]. Elbit’s weapons are used to target Palestinian civilians, destroy homes, and maintain the apartheid system that has oppressed Palestinians for decades [3]. From Britain, ‘Elbit Systems UK’ products exported to Israel, including military drones and weapons sights, are complicit in the mass murder and violent suppression of Palestinians [4].
This latest action is not an isolated incident. In March 2024, Palestine Action took direct action against Eagle Strategic Consulting’s Dorset premises [5], smashing windows and spray-painting the building to send a clear message: we will not stand by while companies like this continue to profit from the deaths and suffering of Palestinians. Activists turned to their new London premises one month ago, targeting the site for the same purposes [6].
The firm plays a clear role in embedding Israel’s arms trade in Britain. As a lobbyist for Elbit, Eagle Strategic Consulting facilitates defense contracts and securing government deals that fund Israel’s ongoing war crimes. Richard Applegate, previously boasted about securing for Elbit a £500 million defense contract from the UK Ministry of Defence, claiming that while his “fingerprints weren’t over any of it,” he nonetheless openly admitted to “infecting” the system at “every level,” to secure the contract [7]
A Palestine Action spokesperson said: “Israel’s brutal occupation is reliant on the arms industries facilitating it – which, in turn, relies on corporate firms like Eagle Strategic to embed them within the halls of government. Palestine Action will not allow these companies to operate without consequence. We will continue to disrupt the operations of all companies who are associated with Israel’s biggest weapons producer, Elbit Systems.
This action is just one example of the ongoing campaign to shut down Elbit and its enablers in the UK. Eagle Strategic Consulting is just one of many, and we will not stop until there isn’t a single company left who will work with Elbit Systems.”
[1] https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/officers/c2yEIPUBlfbzXEVzxm6uqNOkrng/appointments
[2] https://www.whoprofits.org/companies/company/3794
[3] https://investigate.afsc.org/company/elbit-systems
[4] https://caat.org.uk/data/companies/elbit-systems/
[5] https://freedomnews.org.uk/2024/03/27/palestine-action-targets-elbits-collaborators/
[6] https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2025/01/14/palestine-action-eagle-strategic/
[7] https://www.thetimes.com/article/secret-campaign-secured-pound500m-8jdswmsd8tj
About Elbit Systems
Elbit Systems is an Israeli weapons company that manufactures a wide range of military technology, including drones, surveillance systems, and weaponry. The company plays a key role in Israel’s military occupation of Palestine, providing the weapons and technology used to enforce apartheid, surveil Palestinian communities, and carry out military operations. Elbit Systems is complicit in the ongoing displacement and destruction faced by Palestinians and is one of the largest suppliers of arms to the Israeli military.
About Eagle Strategic Consulting Ltd.
Eagle Strategic Consulting Ltd. is a UK-based consultancy firm wholly owned by Richard Applegate, providing strategic advice and lobbying services to weapons manufacturers. Applegate, who also serves as Head of Strategy and New Business for Elbit, has been directly involved in securing defense contracts that fund companies that profit from the destruction and occupation of Palestine.