Leaked Documents Suggest Israel Ran Secret Anti-BDS Campaign That May Breach Foreign Influence Laws

First published in The New Arab, by Anas Ambri | 09 February, 2026

Leaked government documents suggest Israel has been running a covert legal and lobbying campaign abroad to undermine the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, raising serious questions about whether it has broken foreign interference laws in Western democracies.

The documents, published by investigative journalists and based on files shared by the transparency group Distributed Denial of Secrets, show that Israel’s ministries of justice and strategic affairs quietly hired major European law firms to push anti-BDS efforts in other countries. The programme has been operating since at least 2015.

At the centre of the controversy is the use of foreign legal and political systems to advance the agenda of a foreign government without clear public disclosure.

Secret contracts, hidden role

Israeli daily Haaretz first revealed the existence of this covert programme back in 2017, although it was not able to confirm the identity of the contracted law firms.

Now, and according to the leaked files, Israel paid $1.25 million to international law firms including the UK-based Clifford Chance and Belgium’s Van Bael & Bellis to wage lawfare on BDS between 2021 and 2025. Their role was to develop legal strategies, draft arguments and advise on ways to counter BDS campaigns across Europe and beyond.

The work reportedly included helping shape policies, advising corporations, and finding ways to weaken or block pro-Palestinian advocacy. The question is not that governments defend their interests abroad. That is common practice. The issue is secrecy.

The contracts allegedly included confidentiality clauses that concealed the Israeli government’s involvement. In countries like the UK, Canada and the United States, recent foreign influence laws require transparency when individuals or firms act on behalf of a foreign state in political or policy matters.

If legal advice crosses into lobbying or policy advocacy without registration, experts say it may breach those laws.

A deliberate strategy to bypass scrutiny?

The documents suggest Israeli officials were aware of legal risks. Previous reporting has shown concerns within Israeli ministries about triggering foreign agent registration requirements, particularly in the US.

Instead of openly registering activities as foreign-backed lobbying, the programme appears to have been structured in a way that distanced the government from the visible advocacy work.

Critics say this points to a deliberate attempt to shape foreign political environments while avoiding public scrutiny.

“It’s one thing to argue your case openly,” said one legal observer familiar with foreign influence legislation. “It’s another to operate through confidential legal channels designed to obscure who is really pulling the strings.”

No public accountability

At the time of reporting, Israeli ministries and the law firms involved did not publicly clarify the full scope of the programme. Without transparency, it is impossible for citizens in affected countries to assess whether their foreign interference laws were respected.

Western governments have spent the past several years warning about covert foreign influence operations, particularly from Russia and China. They have passed new legislation stressing transparency and accountability.

If the allegations are accurate, this case exposes a double standard. Foreign interference laws cannot be selectively enforced depending on the ally involved.

Targeting civil society

Israel has long described BDS as a strategic threat. The movement calls for economic and cultural boycotts of Israel until it complies with international law and Palestinian rights. Israeli officials argue that BDS unfairly singles out the country and harms its economy.

But the leaked files suggest the response went far beyond public diplomacy. The strategy reportedly included monitoring activists, coordinating legal pressure, and influencing corporate and institutional decisions in foreign countries.

That raises uncomfortable questions about sovereignty. When foreign states attempt to influence domestic debates, citizens have a right to know who is behind the effort. If the leaked documents are genuine, the question is no longer whether Israel opposes BDS. That is obvious. The real question is whether it was willing to bend or ignore the rules of other democracies to fight it.

That is an issue that goes far beyond the politics of Israel and Palestine. It goes to the core of how seriously governments take their own laws on foreign interference.

Source: TNA