Jewish Organizations Join UK Supreme Court Appeal over Palestine Action Ban

The Jewish Leadership Council and Community Security Trust have been granted permission to intervene jointly in the UK Supreme Court appeal over the government's ban on Palestine Action. The court lists both organizations as interveners in the case brought by co-founder Huda Ammori against the Home Secretary. Their participation gives Jewish communal organizations a formal role in proceedings scheduled for November 4 and 5.

The community's case for keeping the ban

In a joint statement reported by the Jewish Chronicle on November 2, the organizations said Palestine Action's activities had extended from businesses considered connected to Israel to Jewish-owned premises and locations in Jewish community areas. They argued that maintaining proscription matters for the wider public as well as for Jewish security.

That is the position they are bringing to the case. The Supreme Court's decision to accept their intervention permits their legal contribution while leaving the appeal itself to be decided by the justices. The appellant remains Ammori, and the government is defending the decision to add Palestine Action to the list of proscribed organizations.

What proscription does

The Home Office currently lists Palestine Action as a terrorist organization proscribed in July 2025. Its account describes a campaign of serious property damage and says the government assesses the group to have participated in terrorism. The legal power comes from section 3 of the Terrorism Act 2000.

Police guidance published through ProtectUK explains that proscription creates offenses concerning membership and certain forms of support for the group. The order took effect on July 5, 2025, after parliamentary approval. Those consequences are central to why the designation has generated litigation: the decision changes the legal position of an organization and conduct connected with it, beyond the prosecution of individual acts of damage.

How the appeal reached the Supreme Court

The Supreme Court's case summary sets out the earlier stages. The Divisional Court initially found the proscription decision unlawful on grounds concerning the Home Secretary's policy and rights to expression and assembly. The Court of Appeal then upheld the government's appeal, finding that the policy had been applied correctly and that the interference with those rights was proportionate.

The Supreme Court granted permission for part of Ammori's appeal on July 29. The current proceedings are therefore the latest stage of a defined legal challenge to the government's use of its statutory power. Palestine Action remains on the Home Office's published list while that challenge is pending.

Other interveners bring different arguments

The case register also names Amnesty International UK and Liberty, English PEN and PEN International, the Jewish Bloc, and the UN special rapporteur on human rights and counterterrorism among the interveners. Their participation brings several legal perspectives into the same appeal. It does not mean that they take a common position on the ban.

Amnesty and Liberty's published account of their earlier Court of Appeal submission argued that proscription was disproportionate and conflicted with protected rights. The Jewish communal organizations emphasize political violence and its effects on Jewish institutions. The legal dispute consequently addresses both the protection of the public and the limits governing the use of counterterrorism powers.

A change from the earlier intervention attempt

The JLC and CST previously sought to intervene at the Court of Appeal stage. The Jewish Chronicle reported on April 26 that the application had been rejected because of the expedited timetable, citing the JLC. Their acceptance by the Supreme Court now changes their procedural position in the litigation.

For the organizations, the new permission means that their concerns can be presented through a recognized court process. It also gives the judges a submission from bodies whose work concerns Jewish communal representation and security, alongside arguments from the government, the appellant and the other accepted interveners.

Hearing times and public access

The Supreme Court's official sitting schedule lists the hearing for November 4 and 5, beginning at 10:30 in London, which is 12:30 in Israel. The listed afternoon session runs from 14:00 to 16:00 London time. The panel comprises Lord Reed, Lord Sales, Lord Lloyd-Jones, Lord Briggs and Lord Stephens.

The court says the afternoon session on November 5 will be private, with no public or press attendance and no livestream. Public seating for the open sessions is limited and allocated on arrival. Its visitor notice also prohibits political slogans or statements on clothing or other items brought into the court.

The immediate development is the acceptance of the joint Jewish intervention ahead of those hearings. The next substantive decision will concern the legality of the ban, with the organizations' security arguments now part of the proceedings the court has agreed to hear.