From the Liveblog of
Monday, October 19, 2026
New York City bank vandalized with anti-Israel graffiti, windows smashed
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleLuke Tress is The Times of Israel's New York correspondent.
A CapitalOne bank location on the Upper East Side of Manhattan has been vandalized with anti-Israel graffiti.
Images of the vandalism shared by New York City Speaker Julie Menin show that the windows of the bank were smashed.
Red graffiti on the doors says “Drop Elbit” and “Pal Action.”
Pal Action, or Palestine Action, is an activist group that has increasingly targeted Israel-linked defense companies, including Elbit.
The US Treasury Department and the UK have designated the UK-based group as a terrorist organization.
The vandalism and destruction at the Capital One branch on 86th Street is deeply disturbing and unacceptable.
I have been in contact with the NYPD regarding this incident and have urged an immediate investigation, including whether this is a potential antisemitic hate crime.… pic.twitter.com/B1AUvO6I3Y
— Speaker Julie Menin (@SpeakerMenin) October 19, 2026
The group’s US branch, Palestine Action US, has rebranded as Unity of Fields. It wasn’t clear which group exactly vandalized the bank.
Palestine Action’s social media and Telegram accounts have been suspended and there does not appear to be an immediate claim of responsibility.
Menin says she has urged the police to investigate whether the incident is an antisemitic hate crime.
The NYPD tells the Times of Israel that at 7:40 a.m. an “unidentified individual threw a brick into the window” of the bank, and that the police are investigating the incident as a “possible bias criminal mischief” offense.
Calla Walsh, an extremist anti-Zionist activist, also posts an “anonymous submission” showing saboteurs disabling equipment at a New York City subway station. Walsh was a co-founder of Palestine Action US but has said she is no longer involved with the group.
The video shows vandals painting over security cameras and using electric drills to destroy and disable card readers at the subway station’s turnstiles.
The activists leave flyers that allege connections between the company producing the transit equipment and Israel.
“Every time you tap, you’re sending money to a war profiteer. Stop the genocide. Free Palestine,” the flyers say, according to the footage.
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