On August 26, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced sanctions against the British organization Palestine Action, alongside the Italy-based group Autistici Inventati and the transnational group Masar Badil. The measure freezes any of the organizations’ assets held in the U.S. and prohibits any American from aiding them. The designation places Palestine Action on the same U.S. sanctions list—the Specially Designated Nationals list—as groups like al-Qaeda and ISIS.
Treasury’s designation criteria describe the group as having “materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods and services to or in support of, an act of terrorism.” Bessent himself said that “far-left extremists, their fronts, and their enablers should be on notice: We will bring the full weight of our economic tools to bear,” adding that “political terrorism has no place in our society, and we will continue to cut the financial lifelines of these groups until they are eliminated.” Critics, however, say this is part of the administration’s systematic criminalization of dissent and pro-Palestine activism, in defiance of the First Amendment to the Constitution.
