PALESTINE supporters targeted Barclays branches across Britain on Saturday, demanding the bank ends its financial involvement in firms aiding Israeli suppression of Palestinians.

The Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) says that Barclays’ support of apartheid Israel can be compared to the bank’s previous involvement in apartheid South Africa.

PSC said that militarised violence against the Palestinian people is a central feature of Israel’s occupation and apartheid regime, including demolitions of Palestinian homes, brutal armed crackdowns on Palestinian protesters and indiscriminate bombing campaigns of the Gaza Strip.

“We’ve uncovered that Barclays Bank holds more than £1 billion in shares and provides more than £3bn in loans and underwriting to nine companies whose weapons, components and military technology have been used in Israel’s armed violence against Palestinians,” said PSC.

“By providing investment and financial services to these arms companies, Barclays facilitates the provision of weapons and technology for Israel’s militarised repression of Palestinians.”

In Manchester, Palestine supporters staged a “die-in” at a Barclays branch in the city.

John Nicholson of Manchester PSC said that among the arms firms supported by Barclays and supplying weaponry to Israel is Israeli-owned Elbit Systems.

He told the Morning Star: “Elbit specialise in the production of military technology, surveillance systems, and military drones – used to brutalise Palestinians in Israel’s regular attacks including the latest atrocities.”

Three Palestinians died in an Israeli military raid in Jenin last week.

Elbit operates four factories in Britain making drones supplied to the Israeli military.

A fifth factory, in Oldham in Greater Manchester, was shut permanently after a prolonged campaign by direct action group Palestine Action and protests by PSC and other Palestine supporters.