❗️Leaked documents expose Israel’s hidden legal war on the BDS movement

In October 2020, senior partners from the British law firm Clifford Chance joined a confidential video call with senior Israeli officials to pitch their services for a coordinated international legal campaign against the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, according to The New Arab. The effort was part of a government program jointly funded by Israel’s Ministries of Justice and Strategic Affairs since 2015, internally described as “diplomatically extremely sensitive” and framed as “lawfare” — using legal threats and regulatory pressure to suppress activism rather than public diplomacy.

Leaked Israeli Ministry of Justice documents published in 2024 show that Clifford Chance and the Brussels-based firm Van Bael & Bellis were contracted to implement the strategy across Europe, North America, and Latin America. Their work included drafting legal opinions portraying BDS as unlawful or discriminatory, coordinating local law firms, and advising Israeli embassies on tactics such as litigation threats and cease-and-desist letters targeting airlines, corporations, universities, and elected officials supporting sanctions on Israel.

The documents also reveal guidance on exploiting anti-discrimination, trade, and counter-terrorism laws to restrict or criminalize boycott advocacy, often through behind-the-scenes pressure on regulators and institutions. Both firms were instructed to keep their work for the Israeli government confidential, using intermediaries to obscure state involvement.