The claim that Iran may have funded Palestine Action was planted in the British press by a PR firm working for an Israeli weapons company, according to a report.

The Times reported in June that the Home Office had launched an investigation amid concerns that Iran’s regime was making donations to the group “via proxies”. The story, which Palestine Action described as “baseless,” was later picked up by the Daily Mail.

The Times article also quoted an organisation called NGO Monitor, which accused Palestine Action of “a lack of transparency and accountability” in its finances.

The story described NGO Monitor as “a research institute that holds campaign groups to account and promotes transparency”, but did not mention its pro-Israel stance.