Dubai: The Israeli government has been secretly using a US law firm to help it fight the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement in Europe, North America and elsewhere, according to documents obtained by Haaretz.

The government has hired the Chicago-based firm Sidley Austin to prepare legal opinions and handle court proceedings.

The Justice Ministry and the Strategic Affairs Ministry have declined to reveal the nature of these activities, for which the state has paid hundreds of thousands of dollars over the past two years.

The ministries call the activities “diplomatically extremely sensitive.”

The Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) is a Palestinian-led movement for freedom, justice and equality. BDS recognises the fact that Israel is occupying and colonising Palestinian land, discriminating against Palestinian of 1948 areas and denying Palestinian refugees the right to return to their homes.

Inspired by the South African anti-apartheid movement, the BDS call urges action to pressure Israel to comply with international law.

Israel has recognised the threat posed by non-violent groups an assigned the Strategic Affairs Ministry to make combatting BDS a top priority.

Israel has dedicated massive resources through its powerful lobby group, American Israel Public Affairs Committee (Aipac), which has paid off US Congressmen, to ensure that such groups such as BDS be stopped, fearing their campaigning could have a catastrophic effect on the Israeli economy and Israel’s image on the world stage.

This year, Aipac lobbyists declared an open war against BDS, designating it as its top priority.

Last week, a Houston suburb’s hurricane repair grant programme said residents could not boycott Israel as a condition of receiving any money.

The American Civil Liberties Union said it’s considering legal action against the city of Dickinson over its Hurricane Harvey repair grant programme, which will provide money to people whose homes and businesses in the city were damaged.

The boycott language was included to comply with a new state law prohibiting Texas agencies from contracting with companies boycotting Israel, said David Olson, the city attorney in Dickinson, located about 30 miles southeast of Houston.

The law, which took effect on September 1, prohibits all state agencies from contracting with, and some public funds from investing in, companies that boycott Israel