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<a class="gmail-domain gmail-reader-domain" href="https://www.palestineaction.org/io-associates-nationwide-actions/">palestineaction.org</a>
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<h1 class="gmail-reader-title">Palestine Action Hits Every Office of Elbit Recruiters iO Associates in One Night</h1>
<div class="gmail-credits gmail-reader-credits">October 9, 2023<br></div></div>
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<img src="cid:ii_lnlsvgm90" alt="op-0Wwhg-2048x1365.jpeg" width="392" height="261"><br><p>Images are available, free to use, via <a href="https://bit.ly/iOAssociates">https://bit.ly/iOAssociates</a></p>
<p>In the early hours of Monday morning, Palestine Action struck four
offices home to iO Associates, the sole recruiters for Israeli arms
manufacturer Elbit Systems. Offices in Manchester, Bristol, London, and
Reading were sprayed with red paint from fire extinguishers, to
symbolise the blood of the Palestinians that Israel continues to spill.
This action follows two occasions in which activists stormed the new
Manchester offices [<a href="https://www.palestineaction.org/io-associates/">1</a>],
the first time confronting iO’s Director Ross Markall, who assaulted
the protestors unprovoked. Shortly after this, iO Associates removed all
of Elbit’s job offers from their website, however they have since been
put back up [<a href="https://www.palestineaction.org/job-vacancies-down/">2</a>].</p>
<p>This action, and Palestine Action’s 3-year campaign targeting Elbit
Systems and their affiliates, is part of an international movement to
end the colonisation of Palestine. The ethnic cleansing of Palestinians
has been underway since at least 1948, a year when Zionist militia
forcibly expelled over 750,000 indigenous Palestinians from their homes,
destroyed over 500 villages and massacred many families [<a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2017/5/23/the-nakba-did-not-start-or-end-in-1948">3</a>].
Since then, the ethnic cleansing never stopped and the Zionist regime
formed into apartheid rule and military occupation. Over 2 million
Palestinians in Gaza have been under a brutal land, air and sea blockade
for 15 years. Despite the majority of the Gazan population being
children and refugees, Israeli bombardments have continued to destroy
hospitals, schools, homes and civil infrastructure. Currently, Israel is
using internationally-banned white phosphorus in its assaults on the
Strip [<a href="https://new.thecradle.co/articles/operation-al-aqsa-flood-rages-on-as-israeli-jets-pound-gaza">4</a>].</p>
<p>This process relies on the facilitation by international actors, not
least of all weapons companies supplying the apartheid regime. iO
Associates are the sole recruiters for Elbit Systems UK, the UK arm of
Israel’s largest weapons manufacturer. Elbit Systems have openly been
using military bombardments on Gaza as a means to develop their
weaponry, which they market as having been “battle-tested”. They supply
85% of Israel’s military drone fleet and land based equipment, as well
as bullets, tear gas and internationally banned weapons [<a href="https://corporatewatch.org/elbit-systems-company-profile/">5</a>].
Not only are they the majority provider of weaponry for the Israeli
military, they work alongside the occupying force, with Elbit staff
themselves supporting and conducting attacks against the indigenous
population of Palestine. </p>
<p>On 7th October, the world bore witness to the most significant
Palestinian resistance operation since the Second Intifada, with
operation ‘Al-Aqsa Flood’ seeing a massive deployment of resistance
fighters who have taken occupation settlements in the Gaza envelope.
Gazans have demolished the Israeli ‘security’ border which, for almost
two decades, has kept over 2 million Gazans captive in the world’s
largest open air prison. Intensifying their usual bombardments of Gaza
and killings of Palestinians, the Israeli military continues to use air
strikes to target hospitals, UN schools which are used as shelter, and
residential tower blocks. In the past two days, Israel has massacred at
least 400 Palestinians.</p>
<p>ENDS</p>
<p>If you would like any further information on Palestine action, please contact <a href="mailto:info@palestineaction.org">info@palestineaction.org</a></p>
<p>Palestine Action is a direct-action network of groups and individuals
formed with the mandate of taking action against the sites of Elbit
Systems and other companies complicit in Israeli apartheid, calling for
all such sites to be shut down.</p>
<p>[1] <a href="https://www.palestineaction.org/io-associates/">https://www.palestineaction.org/io-associates/</a><br>[2] <a href="https://www.palestineaction.org/job-vacancies-down/">https://www.palestineaction.org/job-vacancies-down/</a><br>[3] <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2017/5/23/the-nakba-did-not-start-or-end-in-1948">https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2017/5/23/the-nakba-did-not-start-or-end-in-1948</a><br>[4] <a href="https://new.thecradle.co/articles/operation-al-aqsa-flood-rages-on-as-israeli-jets-pound-gaza">https://new.thecradle.co/articles/operation-al-aqsa-flood-rages-on-as-israeli-jets-pound-gaza</a>}<a href="https://corporatewatch.org/elbit-systems-company-profile/"></a>[5] <a href="https://corporatewatch.org/elbit-systems-company-profile/">https://corporatewatch.org/elbit-systems-company-profile/</a></p>
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