SEATTLE - Florida Senator Marco Rubio has raised concerns over potential terrorist activity in the U.S. by a group he described as anti-Israel. Concretely, he sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) in which he said "Unity of Fields" should be considered a domestic terrorist organization as it has aligned and declared its allegiance to groups such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
Following the recent removal of eight Tajikistan nationals with ties to the Islamic State terror group who were planning an attack in the U.S., as well as the arrest of an Afghan man that was plotting an attack on Election Day, Senator Rubio has highlighted the organization Unity of Fields as a potential danger for the U.S. He has asked Attorney General Merrick Garland to investigate the "anti-Zionist" group as its agenda could "endanger citizens."
In his letter, Rubio catalogued the group as one that promotes acts of violence, "including no longer disavowing any action in pursuit of its Marxist, anti-Zionist, anti-American agenda, building up militancy infrastructure, and adherence to the belief that the 'revolution will come within our lifetimes' as they 'will make sure of it.'"
Formerly known as Palestine Action US, Unity of Fields is an American-Palestinian solidarity organization that began as the U.S.'s branch of Palestine Action, a pro-Palestinian protest network targeting Israeli weapons manufacturers in the United Kingdom.
The group changed its name in 2024, announcing that it would change its focus to better reflect its priorities, actively focused on weapons manufacturers with connections to Israel.
After sharing some of the violence that Unity of Fields has allegedly demonstrated, Rubio added in his request for a domestic terrorism investigation to be placed against the group.
"Under 18 U.S. Code § 2331, 'domestic terrorism' is defined as any activity which 'involves acts dangerous to human life that are in violation of the criminal laws' and includes the intent 'to intimidate or coerce a civilian population' or "to influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion,'" Rubio said.
The Florida Senator added Unity of Fields' claims of affiliation with Middle Eastern terrorist groups, arguing that the group has links to Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Houthis and various Shi'ite groups in Iraq and Syria.
He concluded by saying that Unity of Fields "underpins" the U.S. Constitution and "endangers citizens" of the United States.
In recent days, the Israel-Hamas war has taken a significant turn, as Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was killed in a recent operation in the Gaza Strip.
Sinwar was both the political and military leader of Hamas after the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh in Iran in July. He was also accused of being the mastermind of the October 7 attacks, when some 1,200 people were killed and 250 taken hostage. It is estimated that 101 of them remain captive in Gaza, with a third presumed dead.
According to an ABC News report, as of early October, almost 43,000 people have been killed since the conflict erupted after the October 7, 2023 attacks. The majority of the casualties lie on the Palestinian side, with the Gaza Ministry of Health reporting 41,788 casualties and about 96,700 people injured due to the conflict.
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