One of the world's leading public relations firms has reportedly been hired by the PLO ahead of the planned bid for statehood at the UN.

According to PR news source the Holmes Report, the US branch of the PLO contacted representatives from the firm Bell Pottinger USA.

The PLO are said to be seeking "advice on strategic communications, public relations, media relations and congressional affairs".

A document, filed with the US Department of Justice, revealed that the consultants are answerable to Maen Rashid Areikat, the PLO's chief US representative.

Bell Pottinger, which has recently been criticised for working for the governments of Bahrain and Yemen, is regarded as one of the world's top PR agencies and regularly appears at number one in PR Week's annual rankings.

The UK-based firm, founded by a former adviser to Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, claims that its staff "are leaders in their fields and have the skills and experience to use any medium and reach any audience anywhere in the world".

The Palestinian Authority is currently involved in efforts to gather international support before the UN vote on its unilateral declaration of statehood, scheduled for the end of September.