My latest: the Israel-haters embrace terror tactics

The anti-Israel side is getting more aggressive, experts and police agencies warn.

And, now, some groups are openly embracing terror groups and their tactics – and becoming far more radical.

This week, Western democracies were provided with more evidence. On Monday, Chicago’s O’Hare airport was shut down by anti-Israel and anti-democracy protests – as was a super-highway near Los Angeles, a bridge to New York City, major streets in downtown Ottawa and Vancouver’s vital container port.

At around the same time, dozens of anti-Israel protestors occupied Google offices in three different U.S. cities, and more than 100 “pro-Palestine” students at New York’s Columbia University were arrested for criminal trespass.

And, now, a document has surfaced that suggests that some of these groups are gravitating towards crime and terrorist tactics to advance their anti-Israel, anti-democracy cause. Provided to this newspaper confidentially by a source, the “underground manual” was created by Palestine Action, a network of groups that use what they call “direct action” against individuals and organizations who are believed to support Israel.

Founded in 2020 and most active in Britain, Palestine Action has been at the forefront of an increasingly-radicalized global movement. And its “underground manual” shows that groups that oppose the Jewish state are openly embracing violence and vandalism. In emails, the group admitted to this writer that it authored the manual, but refused to discuss its contents.

A sampling of excerpts from the document, which now forms part of prosecutions of Palestine Action members in the U.K.:

• Like past terror groups – such as Germany’s Red Army Faction, Abu Nidal or the Irish Republican Army – Palestine Action members are strongly encouraged to form “cells” of just a few members to reduce infiltration and “to make it more secure.”
• The manual then urges the cells to “pick your target” – most often, anyone who “enables and profits from the Israeli weapons industry.” Some companies are suggested, such as Elbit Systems, Rafael or Teledyne.
• Palestine Action then calls on cell members to “prepare for action” and do what it refers to as “recce” – reconnaissance, even advising “borrowing someone’s dog” for a walk, to avoid looking suspicious. Extremists are counselled to map out where closed circuit cameras are located, as well as fencing, barbed wire, access points, alarms – and how far the police are from the target.
• Next, cells are advised to “plan action.” Among the suggested actions are “smashing windows and exterior equipment,” blocking companies’ external pipes – including using concrete, as anti-Israel protestors did on railway tracks in Toronto this week. This “will cause disruption for the target,” says the manual.
• “Break-ins” are also advised – “breaking into your target and damaging the contents inside is obviously a very effective tactic,” says Palestine Action. Cells are advised to map out escape routes well in advance, using a variety of means. Cells are also told to use only cash when “buying equipment, whether it’s spray paints or sledgehammers” – and never to leave a “paper or digital trail.”
• Meanwhile, as we have seen in protests across Canada and the West, “face coverings are key,” warns Palestine Action. “Do not have your face [visible] at any point during the action. Balaclava is best for this. This might seem pedantic, but cops are obsessed with [shoes]. Don’t wear shoes that you’ve worn when arrested on an action or at a protest, or that are all over your social media.” The manual also urges followers to cover the entire bodies to ensure tattoos or birthmarks are not observed.
• In all-caps, Palestine Actions warns: “WHEN TAKING ACTION, NEVER LEAVE ANYTHING BEHIND. ABSOLUTELY NOTHING APART FROM PAINT AND DESTRUCTION. THE POLICE MAY TRY TO FORENSICALLY ANALYZE ANY ITEMS WHICH ARE LEFT, SO DON’T LEAVE ANYTHING.”
• Extremists are advised to methodically record every “action,” and share with other extremists, mainly to intimidate their targets. Untraceable “burner phones” should only be used, they say, all digital identifiers should be removed, and Palestine Action should receive a copy.
• If caught, Palestine Action members are given the names of lawyers to represent them, apparently at no cost, and offered the assistance of “our dedicated support team throughout the legal process.”
When the “action” is over, followers are encouraged to “destroy all evidence” – and to avoid “bragging, gossip and loose words [which] are often how things become undone…that sort of behaviour should be avoided and called out if you come across it in your cell.”

So, as experts and police note, anti-Israel and anti-Western groups are becoming bolder and more aggressive – and more extreme.

Palestine Action’s “underground manual” is just one more example of how extreme they have become.