The British subsidiary of Israel’s largest defense company, Elbit Systems UK, has concealed the identity of its auditor amid heightened activism by the group Palestine Action. This move, disclosed in the company’s latest financial accounts, follows a sustained campaign by the group targeting Elbit’s operations in the United Kingdom.

Palestine Action’s campaign reached a peak this summer when four of its members were jailed after a raid on Elbit’s factory in Bristol. The raid caused an estimated £1.2 million in damages and involved an attack on a police sergeant with a sledgehammer, resulting in serious injuries. Earlier, the company’s previous auditor, Edwards of Walsall, resigned last October after its offices were vandalized with red paint during protests linked to the campaign. The activism also targeted other suppliers connected to Elbit, including a recruitment firm and a logistics provider.

Elbit Systems UK’s business within the UK spans supporting the British army’s Watchkeeper drone fleet, offering pilot training, and selling night-vision goggles. While the company declined to comment on the auditor's change, it reported that it had exercised a rare legal provision under the Companies Act 2006 to conceal both the auditing firm and the senior auditor’s identities. This exemption may be applied if there is a “serious risk” of violence or intimidation against those involved in auditing duties. Typically, companies using this exemption disclose at least the auditing firm's name while concealing only the lead auditor’s identity, but Elbit withheld both.

The company also disclosed further operational changes linked to activism pressures. It closed its Bristol facility last year, making a significant payment of £1.3 million to the property landlord to surrender the lease. This sum included a £792,000 premium and a settlement payment of £508,000—costs incurred after the release of the 2025 financial results. For the year 2025, Elbit Systems UK reported a post-tax loss of £8.3 million, a sharp increase from a £1.1 million loss the previous year. In 2022, under similar activist pressures from Extinction Rebellion and Palestine Action, Elbit sold its site in Oldham.

A spokesperson from ADS, the UK defense industry trade organization, acknowledged the challenges faced by companies in the sector, stating that threats are longstanding but have become more prominent in recent times. The situation at Elbit Systems UK highlights the intensifying confrontation between defense firms and activist groups in the country.