U.S. Lobbying Firm Partners With Israeli Arms Manufacturer: What’s Behind the Alliance?

At 7:30 a.m. on September 3, 2024, an unusual tension filled the air outside 40 Maltby Street in London, home to the global PR and strategic communications firm APCO.

Activists from the ‘Palestine Action’ group targeted the company's building with red paint, symbolizing blood.

They then secured the front door with a D-shaped lock and displayed a banner reading: “Stop Lobbying for Genocide [in Gaza]. APCO Drop Elbit.”

APCO is one of the world's leading political lobbying groups, working for the Israeli Occupation’s largest arms company, Elbit Systems.

Palestine Action views APCO as providing lobbying services for Elbit Systems, the Israeli arms giant and a major partner in the Israeli Occupation’s assault on Gaza.

Palestine Action said, "APCO provides consultant lobbying services to Elbit Systems UK, at a time when Elbit is playing a central role in the genocide in Gaza,” citing the Office of the Registrar of Consultant Lobbyists. 

“These lobbyists, including those who have previously secured back-door contracts for Elbit in the past, are working to shore up British support for Israel’s arms trade at a time when 16 activists are imprisoned for conscientious action taken against genocide,” the group added.

So, what is APCO? What is Elbit Systems? And how did they contribute to the deaths of nearly 50,000 Palestinian civilians in Gaza by early September 2024?

About APCO

Founded in 1984 in Washington, D.C., APCO was established by Margery Kraus, who served as the company's CEO until 2014.

Following her tenure, Brad Staples became the CEO in 2014, bringing extensive experience in strategic consulting and public relations.

Staples has led numerous complex international projects in areas such as public affairs, corporate communications, and crisis management.

He is also known for his direct and close relationships with the Israeli government and has visited the UAE and Saudi Arabia multiple times in recent years.

APCO is a leading firm in international public relations, offering a wide range of services including reputation management, government consulting, marketing communications, and public affairs.

The company works with a diverse client base including major corporations, NGOs, governments, and international institutions.

Its primary mission is to assist clients in handling strategic issues and challenges, whether related to public communication, influencing public policy, or crisis management, including wars, revolutions, and military coups.

This extends to dirty operations such as extrajudicial killings and assassinations carried out by regimes or groups.

Consequently, APCO has represented the interests of Israeli arms giant Elbit Systems.

It has continued to support and promote the Israeli company despite the ongoing war crimes committed by the Israeli Occupation in Gaza since October 7, 2023.

Elbit Systems

Elbit Systems is an Israeli military technology company headquartered in occupied Haifa, established in 1966 by Elron, representing the Israeli Ministry of War.

The Israeli company operates factories around the world and supplies its products to various national armies.

In its factories in the United Kingdom and the United States, the company has faced protests for supplying arms to the Israeli military during its ongoing aggression against the Palestinian people.

In 2022, Elbit Systems announced it employed 18,407 staff, most of whom reside in the occupied territories, and its shares are traded on the Tel Aviv and Nasdaq stock exchanges.

Elbit Systems is the primary supplier of land equipment and unmanned aerial vehicles for the Israeli military.

According to a Middle East Monitor (MEM) report, Elbit Systems “is the largest Israeli military manufacturer and produces 85 per cent of the country’s land-based equipment as well as 85 percent of drones used by the Israeli Air Force.”

However, the most critical and significant contribution to the Israeli Occupation forces is the unmanned aerial vehicles used by the Israeli Air Force in its aggressive operations in Gaza, as well as in neighboring countries like Lebanon and Iran.

The Independent confirmed that one of Elbit Systems’ drones, specifically the Elbit Hermes 450, was responsible for the Global Central Kitchen massacre.

This occurred when the drone attacked a relief convoy in early April 2024, killing seven relief workers and provoking global reactions.

Rising Deals

The Israeli Ministry of War placed orders with “defense” giant Elbit Systems for ammunition worth $760 million throughout 2023, according to MEM.

Many of these orders, details of which were not disclosed by Elbit Systems, are part of an increase in procurement deals from local companies following Operation al-Aqsa Flood.

However, the Israeli Occupation forces had already started purchasing ammunition from Elbit Systems prior to their ongoing war on Gaza.

This included a $60 million order for 155mm ammunition in August 2023.

By November of the same year, the Israeli Ministry of War reported thousands of purchases totaling $1.64 billion from local companies.

The company stated that since the start of the war on Gaza, Elbit Systems has seen a significant increase in demand for its products and solutions from the Israeli Ministry of War compared to pre-war levels.

Relationship with the UK

Elbit's activities in the UK began in 1995 when it acquired Alvis UAV Engines Limited, a “defense” company specializing in developing engines for unmanned aerial vehicles.

Since then, its UK branch has become a major global supplier of UAV engines.

On September 24, 2004, a significant development occurred with the establishment of Elbit Systems UK Ltd, a subsidiary of the parent company based in occupied Haifa.

The new company focused on supplying the British Army with unmanned aerial vehicles.

It later opened a major factory in Leicester, UK, tasked with manufacturing the Watchkeeper WK450 engine used by both the British and Israeli armed forces.

In 2007, Elbit Systems took over the English company Ferranti Technologies, headquartered in Oldham, Greater Manchester.

Ferranti Technologies was part of the historical Ferranti Group, providing solutions in aviation and military “defense” markets.

Involvement in Crimes

Following the Israeli assault on Gaza in 2014, activists from Palestine Action and other groups began protesting against Elbit Systems' production of various bombs and military technology used by the Israeli Air Force, which resulted in Palestinian casualties.

The activists particularly highlighted Elbit Systems' production of the Hermes drone, which was involved in the deaths of at least four Palestinian children.

On May 19, 2021, during another Israeli assault on Gaza, four members of Palestine Action dressed in red overalls and climbed onto the roof of an Elbit Systems-owned drone factory at Meridian Business Park, Leicester. They staged a six-day sit-in before being arrested.

Starting on October 7, 2023, when “Israel” launched its unprecedented assault on the Gaza Strip, activists with Palestine Action raided several Elbit Systems factories.

At the Instro Precision plant in Sandwich, Kent, over 100 people blocked its entrances.

Several activists also climbed onto the roof of the Howmet Fastening Systems factory, and one protester chained themselves to the factory entrance.

On March 28, 2024, Elbit Systems announced it was “forced to sell” its factory in Tamworth due to losses associated with pro-Palestinian protests.

At that time, Palestine Action issued a statement declaring that ongoing direct action achieved another victory in the fight against the Israeli arms trade, forcing Elbit Systems to sell its factory.

The statement added that the new company that purchased the factory contacted the Palestinian working group and confirmed in their email that the new owners had withdrawn from all “defense” industry agreements previously made with “Israel.”