Leaked report casts doubt on UK’s justification for banning Palestine Action

ISTANBUL

A leaked report cast doubt on the UK government's justification for banning Palestine Action, Scottish daily The National reported Thursday.

The National published the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre’s (JTAC) assessment on the proscription of Palestine Action under the Terrorism Act, which was obtained by campaigner and blogger Craig Murray.

Murray claimed that the assessment proves Home Secretary Yvette Cooper “has consistently lied about Palestine Action in a panicked attempt to defend the proscription."

The leaked report shows JTAC assessed that Palestine Action committed or participated in "acts of terrorism" for conducting incidents resulting in property damage.

However, it also noted that JTAC assesses that the group is not otherwise concerned with terrorism.

The majority of direct action by Palestine Action would not be classified as terrorism under the definition of Section 1 of the Terrorism Act 2000, according to JTAC's assessment.

In June, the government announced a ban under the Terrorism Act 2000 after activists from Palestine Action spray-painted planes at a Royal Air Force base, an act being investigated under counter-terrorism laws.

The ban was later passed in the House of Commons and the House of Lords in July.

Palestine Action describes itself as a direct-action network targeting companies involved in supplying Israel’s military.

The UN high commissioner for human rights also publicly criticized the UK’s decision to ban Palestine Action.

And the UN special rapporteur on counter-terrorism and human rights has been granted permission to intervene in the judicial review.

The High Court has granted permission to Huda Ammori, co-founder of Palestine Action, to bring a full judicial review against the order of Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, banning the group as a terrorist organization.