The UK government shared contact details of counterterrorism police and prosecutors with the Israeli embassy during their investigation into protesters from Palestine Action at an Israeli arms factory.
Documents obtained by The Guardian show email exchanges between the Attorney General's Office (AGO) and the Israeli embassy, raising concerns about foreign interference.
An email sent on 9 September 2024 by the AGO to Israel's deputy ambassador to the UK, Daniela Grudsky Ekstein, features the subject matter: CPS/SO15 [Crown Prosecution Service/counterterrorism police] contact details.
The Guardian revealed that the email sent by Nicola Smith, the head of international law at the AGO, was sent 11 days after she had met with the Israeli ambassador.
While a readout of a meeting that took place on 28 August was heavily redacted, past documents have shown alleged requests by the Israeli embassy to intervene in some instances.
It also showed meetings that took place between the Israeli defence contractor's representatives, the AGO and Home Office ministers.
The AGO told The New Arab: "It has been routine under successive governments for AGO to help embassies get in contact with the relevant authorities purely for purposes of sharing information that could be relevant to a case."
The office stressed that decisions to prosecute, convict, and sentence are made independently of the government by the Crown Prosecution Service, juries, and judges.
Speaking to The Guardian, Huda Ammori, co-founder of Palestine Action, said the timing of the correspondence coincides with the ongoing investigation into PA activists. Ammori added that "it seems apparent that the Attorney General's Office has facilitated foreign interference in this case and potentially other ongoing criminal cases".
Ten activists from Palestine Action were arrested under the Terrorism Act 2002 after protesting at an Israeli weapons factory in August, while a further eight were also arrested in November.
Activists have accused the UK government of weaponising terror legislation to crack down on protests.
A letter from four UN special rapporteurs noted the protesters arrested in August were held for 36 hours, with no access to legal representation before they were detained for a further seven days under the legislation.
The letter adds that no one was charged with offences under the Terrorism Act, and the activists charged with crimes unrelated to terrorism had legal support, familial visits, as well as healthcare and religious rights limited while awaiting trial in prison.
Palestine Action has constantly made headlines after targeting several weapons factories and offices accused of providing arms or support to Israel, including Elbit Systems and Allianz.
The New Arab has contacted Palestine Action and the Israeli embassy for comment but did not receive a response at the time of publication.