Filmmakers Ken Loach and Mike Leigh have condemned the Natural History Museum for collaborating with an Israeli firm on a research project.
They were joined by Liberal Democrat peer Jenny Tonge and a number of other critics of Israel in writing a letter to the Independent newspaper.
The signatories complained that the museum was guilty of breaking international law by working with cosmetics company Ahava on a research project into the possible risks of "nanomaterial" (microscope man-made cells which could be used to treat illness in the future).
Other partners in the European Commission-approved research project "Nanoretox", which has been running since 2008, include King's College London, Imperial College London, and universities from Spain, Italy, Denmark, France, and Belgium.
