A Long History: Israeli Espionage Against the Check this out this video documentary, 4-part Fox series by Carl Cameron but later pulled by Fox.: http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article7545.htm http://www.whatreallyhappened.com/spyring.html August 30, 2004 A Long History Israeli Espionage Against the US By SAM HUSSEINI [This survey of Israeli spying on the US was compiled in 1997.] The Washington Post reported in a front-page story on May 7th, 1997 that US intelligence had intercepted a conversation in which two Israeli officials had discussed the possibility of getting a confidential letter that then-Secretary of State Warren Christopher had written to Palestinian leader Yasir Arafat. One of the Israelis had commented that they may get the letter from "Mega"-- apparently a codename for an Israeli agent within the US government. This revelation has been treated by much of the press as something of an aberration, as Israeli officials have claimed that they do not spy on the US . Israel Foreign Minister David Levy told the Washington Post (5/8/97) that "Our diplomats all over the world, and of course specifically in the US , don't deal with such a thing." Prime Minister Netanyahu's office declared: " Israel does not use intelligence agents in the United States . Period." Here is a sampling of the public record of Israeli espionage and covert actions against the US : According to Time magazine (5/19/97), the US ambassador to Israel , Martin Indyk, last year "complained privately to the Israeli government about heavy-handed surveillance by Israeli intelligence agents, who had been following American-embassy employees in Tel Aviv and searching the hotel rooms of visiting US officials." *** Three relevant documents were made public in early 1996: 1) A General Accounting Office report "Defense Industrial Security: Weaknesses in US Security Arrangements With Foreign-Owned Defense Contractors" found that according to intelligence sources "Country A" (identified by intelligence sources as Israel , Washington Times, 2/22/96) "conducts the most aggressive espionage operation against the United States of any US ally." The Jerusalem Post (8/30/96) quoted the report, "Classified military information and sensitive military technologies are high-priority targets for the intelligence agencies of this country." The report described "An espionage operation run by the intelligence organization responsible for collecting scientific and technologic information for [ Israel ] paid a US government employee to obtain US classified military intelligence documents." The Washington Report on Middle East Affairs (Shawn L. Twing, April 1996) noted that this was "a reference to the 1985 arrest of Jonathan Pollard, a civilian US naval intelligence analyst who provided Israel 's LAKAM [Office of Special Tasks] espionage agency an estimated 800,000 pages of classified US intelligence information." The GAO report also noted that "Several citizens of [ Israel ] were caught in the United States stealing sensitive technology used in manufacturing artillery gun tubes." 2) An Office of Naval Intelligence document, "Worldwide Challenges to Naval Strike Warfare" reported that " US technology has been acquired [by China ] through Israel in the form of the Lavi fighter and possibly SAM [surface-to-air] missile technology." Jane's Defense Weekly (2/28/96) noted that "until now, the intelligence community has not openly confirmed the transfer of US technology [via Israel ] to China ." The report noted that this "represents a dramatic step forward for Chinese military aviation." (Flight International, 3/13/96) 3) The Defense Investigative Service circulated a memo in late 1995 warning US military contractors that " Israel aggressively collects [ US ] military and industrial technology." The report stated that Israel obtains information using "ethnic targeting, financial aggrandizement, and identification and exploitation of individual frailties" of US citizens. ( Washington Post, 1/30/96) (This report was criticized by several groups for allegedly implying that Americans Jews were particularly suspect.) *** From New York Times December 22, 1985, by David K. Shipler: Many American officials are convinced of Israel 's ability, on a routine basis, to obtain sensitive information about this county's secret weapons, advanced technology and internal policy deliberations in Washington ... The F.B.I. knew of at least a dozen incidents in which American officials transferred classified information to the Israelis, [former Assistant Director of the F.B.I.] Mr. [Raymond] Wannal said. The Justice Department did not prosecute. "When the Pollard case broke, the general media and public perception was that this was the first time this had ever happen," said John Davitt, former chief of the Justice Department's internal security section. "No, that's not true at all. The Israeli intelligence service, when I was in the Justice Department, [1950-1980] was the second most active in the United States , to theSoviets." *** From "The Samson Option," by Seymour M. Hersh [Page numbers are from the Vintage paperback edition, 1992.] The name "Mega" in the recent Washington Post story may be noteworthy: [I]llicitly obtained intelligence was flying so voluminously from LAKAM into Israeli intelligence that a special code name, JUMBO, was added to the security markings already on the documents. There were strict orders, [Ari] Ben-Menashe recalled: "Anything marked JUMBO was not supposed to be discussed with your American counterparts." ("The Samson Option," pg 295) After Jonathan Pollard was arrested for selling secrets to Israel , the Israeli leadership denied all knowledge. Hersh provides several sources indicating that they did know. Here's one: The top leadership, of course, knew what was going on. One former Israeli intelligence official recalled that Peres and Rabin, both very sophisticated in the handling of intelligence, were quick to ask, as the official put it, "Where are we getting this stuff?" They were told, the Israeli added, that Israeli intelligence 'has a penetration into the U.S. intelligence community.' Both men let it go. No one said: 'Stop it here and now.'" ("The Samson Option," pg 296) One of the little-known aspects of the Pollard case is that information was passed along by the Israelis to the Soviets: For Shamir, the Israeli added, the relaying of the Pollard information to the Soviets was his way of demonstrating that Israel could be a much more dependable and important collaborator in the Middle East than the "fickle" Arabs: "What Arab could give you this?" ("The Samson Option," pg 299) The Pollard information helped in Israel 's ability to exercise "The Samson Option" -- to threaten the Soviet Union, and therefore the US , with nuclear war if they didn't get their way in developments in the Mideast . Disclosure of information to the Soviets also apparently led the Soviets to track down US agents: One senior American intelligence official confirmed that there have been distinct losses of human and technical intelligence collection ability inside the Soviet Union that have been attributed, after extensive analysis, to Pollard. "The Israeli objective [in the handling of Pollard] was to gather what they could and let the Soviets know that they have a strategic capability--for their survival [the threat of a nuclear strike against the Soviets] and to get their people out [of the Soviet Union ]," one former CIA official said. "Where it hurts us is our agents being rolled up and our ability to collect technical intelligence being shut down. When the Soviets found out what's being passed"--in the documents supplied by Pollard to the Israelis--"they shut down the source." ("The Samson Option," pg 300) *** A portion of a 1979 CIA internal report, " Israel : Foreign Intelligence and Security Services" (from The Nation, "I Spy, You Spy, We All Spy," December 14, 1985, by Alexander Cockburn) included the following: In one instance Shin Beth [the Israeli internal security agency] tried to penetrate the US Consulate General in Jerusalem through a clerical employee who was having an affair with a Jerusalem girl. They rigged a fake abortion case against the employee in an unsuccessful effort to recruit him. Before this attempt at blackmail, they had tried to get the Israeli girl to elicit information from her boyfriend. Two other important targets in Israel are the US Embassy in Tel Aviv and United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO) with headquarters in Jerusalem . There have been two or three crude efforts to recruit Marine guards for monetary reward. In the cases involving UNTSO personnel, the operations involved intimidation and blackmail. In 1954, a hidden microphone planted by the Israelis was discovered in the Office of the US Ambassador in Tel Aviv. In 1956, telephone taps were found connected to two telephones in the residence of the US military attache. *** In March 1978, Stephen Bryen, then a Senate Foreign Relations Committee staffer, was overheard in a DC hotel offering confidential documents to top Israeli military officials. The F.B.I. found Bryen's fingerprints on the documents in question, and he admitted to having obtained them the night before the meeting with the Israelis. Bryen was forced to quit his job, but was never indicted. He was later brought on to the Defense Department as a deputy to Reagan Administration Assistant Secretary Richard Pearle. There Bryen was in charge of such matters as overseeing technology transfers in the Mideast . (See "The Armageddon Network" (Amana Books) by Michael Saba, an officer of the National Association of Arab Americans when he overheard Bryen offer the documents to the Israelis.) As late as 1992, Stephen Bryen was serving on board of the pro-Israeli Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs while continuing as a paid consultant -- with security clearance -- on exports of sensitive US technology. (Wall Street Journal, 1/22/92, Edward T. Pound and David Rogers) *** * "The Lavon Affair": In 1954, Israeli agents attacked Western targets in Egypt in an apparent attempt to upset US-Egyptian relations. Israeli defense minister Pinchas Lavon was removed from office, though many think real responsibility lay with David Ben-Gurion. * In 1965, Israel apparently illegally obtained enriched uranium from NUMEC corporation. ( Washington Post, 6/5/86, Charles R. Babcock, "US an Intelligence Target of the Israelis, Officials Say.") * In 1967, Israel attacked the USS Liberty, an intelligence gathering vessel flying a US flag, killing 34 crew members. See "Assault on the Liberty ," by James M. Ennes, Jr. (Random House). * In 1985 Richard Smyth, the owner of MILCO was indicted on charges of smuggling nuclear timing devices to Israel ( Washington Post, 10/31/86). * April 24, 1987 Wall Street Journal headline: "Role of Israel in Iran-Contra Scandal Won't be Explored in Detail by Panels" * In 1992, the Wall Street Journal reported that Israeli agents apparently tried to steal Recon Optical Inc's top-secret airborne spy-camera system. (1/17/92, Edward T. Pound and David Rogers). * In early 1997, an Army mechanical engineer, David A. Tenenbaum, told investigators that he "inadvertently" gave classified military information on missile systems and armored vehicles to Israeli officials ( New York Times, 2/20/97). * For detailed analysis of the Israel-US relationship, including covert operations, see "Taking Sides: America 's Secret Relations with a Militant Israel " by Stephen Green (Amana Books). Also see "Dangerous Liaisons" by Andrew and Leslie Cockburn (Harper Collins). * For information on economic espionage see "War By Other Means: Economic Espionage in America " by Wall Street Journal reporter John Fialka (Norton). Also see " Israel 's Unauthorized Arms Transfers" in Foreign Policy, Summer 1995, by Prof. Duncan Clarke of American University . --------------------QQQQQQQQQQQQ-------------------- What Israel does silently in Iraq-Mesopotamia Early Predictions & Analyses Israel's economic and trade involvement in Iraq is easy to discern. What is harder to gauge is its strategic and political involvement in that country. Israel's involvement is not homogeneous all over Iraq. Israel favors the Kurdish north, which has been under self-rule since the end of the Gulf war in 1991. Israel managed to infiltrate the northern areas with US help and became involved in various security, economic, and political activities in these areas. In central and southern Iraq, Israel managed to get a foothold only after the collapse of Saddam's regime. Israel was pleased to see Saddam removed. Under the Baath regime, Iraq was actively involved in Arab-Israeli conflict. It even fired ballistic missiles at Israel during the Gulf war. Iraq was a staunch opponent to the Arab-Israeli peace process, and its rumoured quest for mass destruction weapons worried the Israelis. Saddam's overthrow came as a relief to Israel. Suddenly, Iraq was no longer a military force to contend with in the case of a regional war. In addition, Syria was deprived form the strategic depth that Iraq, despite all ideological differences, With Saddam ousted, the regional balance of power changed in Israel's favor. Many Israeli analysts saw Saddam's fall as a blow to pan-Arabism. This, they predicted, would increase isolationism in the Arab world and make every country focus on its narrow interests, which suits Israel just fine. Under Saddam's pan-Arab regime, Baghdad saw Israel as a colonial enemy, a usurper with international backing. This was about to change. A US-backed Iraqi regime may just offer Israel the trade and political ties it had long sought. But things are not as simple as that. Israel is concerned over the possibility of Iranian-backed Shiites taking over Iraq. If this happens, Israel's interests would be endangered once again. The Iranian threat would get closer to Israel, and a new wave of regional rejection of Israel may be in the offing, a wave that could prove fiercer than any in the past. Israel sees the Kurds as potential strategic allies, as an insurance policy against a turnabout in Iraq's approach to Israel in the future. Signs of Israeli-Kurdish cooperation have been in evidence since the early 1990s, when the Kurdish north was virtually cut off from the rest of the country. Israel wants to boost the status and power of Kurds in the new Iraq, in the hope that they would either have a key role in running the country or secede. Shortly after the war, in which Israel provided help in many ways to the Americans, the US said that there is no reason why Israeli companies should not be involved in the reconstruction of Iraq or the supply of materials and services to that country. Israeli companies were allowed to bid for contracts in Iraq, which they did. Israel won a number of contracts in Iraq, mostly as a supplied of goods and services to the US occupation authorities. Israel focuses on oil projects, because it wishes to import oil from Iraq. Israeli official have spoken of the possibility of Iraqi oil being exported through Haifa. But the Israeli government denies any intention to reactivate the old pipeline that used to link Keokuk, Mosul, and Haifa. Most Israeli commercial activities concentrate in northern Iraq, where security and political conditions are favorable. Several Israeli companies have licenses to operate in various parts of Iraqi Kurdistan. Many have set up business in Irbil, al-Sulaymaniya, and Mosul, supplying telephone, water, and other services. Israeli exports to north Iraq are estimated at $50 million annually. Since summer 2003, Israel has been buying real estate in various parts of Iraq, particularly in the north. Israeli rabbis and experts, specialized in Iraqi affairs, are visiting Iraq in increasing numbers to set the scene for further cooperation. Part of the enthusiasm may be biblical, but most is connected to economic and security reasons. Politically, Israel wishes to defiant pan-Arabism in Iraq. It is pleased to see some Iraqi expatriates stress Iraq's pree-Islamic history and tribal characteristics. Pan-Arabism is one thing the Israelis and Americans detest in common. Both urge the Iraqis to forge closer ties with the US, and Israel by extension, and turn their back on their Arab surroundings. In Iraq, former military commanders with pan-Arab leanings have been disbanded and a new military doctrine, one that does not view Israel as the enemy is being honed. Iraq's military is being encouraged to be professional, in other words to distance itself from the Arab-Israeli conflict. Israel helped the US plan the war against Saddam. Since then, the two countries have coordinated closely in strategic, military, and intelligence matters. The Abu Gharib scandal shows that Israeli investigators have been involved in the interrogation of Iraqi prisoners. The Israelis imparted to the Americans some of their methods in confronting the Palestinian intifada. Significantly, the US raid on Faluja in 2004 bears striking resemblance to the Israeli raid on Jenin in 2002. The Mossad has set up clandestine offices in the main cities of Kurdistan, such as Dahuk, Mosul, al-Sulaymaniya, and Irbil. These offices help Israel keep an eye on the borders with Syria, Turkey, and Iran. The Mossad is involved in numerous operations in Iraq, such as the liquidation of Iraqi scientists and technicians who are linked with Iraq's mass destruction weapons programs. The Mossad helps the Americans track down Iraqi resistance fighters. It also monitors Iranian activities in Iraq. Israel favors the partition of Iraq in three parts, but it realizes that this option may conflict with US interests and views. The US needs a unified Iraq to counter the Iranian influence in the Gulf. Besides, Iraq's partition could cause trouble for Turkey. Israel's involvement in Iraq is no picnic, however. With resistance and international opposition to occupation escalating, the US is not in a mood to let Israel have a free hand in Iraq. There was a time, just after the war, when US officials said publicly that there is no reason why Israel should not be involved economically and commercially in Iraq. Such statements are seldom at present. Even the Israeli government is now denying that it has oil-related or commercial ambitions in Iraq. In 2004, the Israeli foreign ministry has repeatedly warned its citizens, particularly the businessmen, of the perils facing them in Iraq. In more than one occasion, the Israeli government pointed out the risk of Israelis getting abducted in Iraq. Israeli companies in Iraq observe strict security measures. They often work under the guise of other nationalities or hire Israelis with Iraqi or Kurdish origins to blend in with the scene. The Israelis may have used Iraqi passports which they obtained from the US occupation authorities in Iraq. One of the obstacles facing Israeli involvement in Iraq is the attitude of the Iraqi interim government. Senior Iraqi officials, including those close to the US, have distanced themselves from the Israelis. Iraqi officials deny that Israelis have come to Iraq in large numbers or that Israel is using Iraq as an intelligence base. Iraqi officials say that their country is not going to be used as a base for any anti-Arab activity. They point out that Iraq will have ties with Israel only once a just and comprehensive peace is reached. Israel has two main goals in Iraq: (a) to make Iraq adopt a more lenient policy toward it, and (b) to establish full diplomatic and trade links. Israel's success in achieving these goals depends on what the Iraqis and Arabs do. Should the Arabs fail to help the Iraqis in their efforts to rebuild their country, Iraq would be vulnerable to foreign influence, Israeli or otherwise. Author Dr Ahmad Ibrahim Mahmud Center for Political & Strategical Studies Issue 25:11 Dec.2004 ----------------------QQQQQQQQQQQ---------------- --------------------------------- Finding fabulous fares is fun. Let Yahoo! FareChase search your favorite travel sites to find flight and hotel bargains.
