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Israel-Palestine-Jordan
Israel says no spying on US since 1985
2008-04-24
JERUSALEM - Israel said on Wednesday it has not conducted any spying on the United States since 1985, following the arrest in New York of a US army veteran charged with passing defence secrets to the Jewish state some 30 years ago.

"The events go back to the early 1980s. Since 1985 there have been clear orders from (Israel's) prime ministers not to conduct these kind of activities," said Arieh Mekel, spokesperson for the Israeli foreign ministry. "Relations between the United States and Israel have always been based ontrue friendship and mutual values and interests," he said.
Unfortunately, I don't believe them. They did it before. They'll do it again. If it's a question in their minds as to the survival of their state, they'll spy on anyone. It's what states do.
On Tuesday, US authorities announced the arrest of Ben-Ami Kadish, on charges that he disclosed secret defence information, including on nuclear weapons, to Israel between 1979 and 1985. Kadish, who worked as a mechanical engineer at a US army weapons centre in New Jersey, provided classified documents to Isreal's consul for science affairs in New York, the Justice Department said.

The case has been linked to the 1980s Jonathan Pollard spy scandal which rocked US-Israeli relations. Pollard was an intelligence analyst for the Navy department who passed thousands of documents to Israel in 1984 and 1985. He is rotting in prison serving a life term after being convicted of spying.
Posted by:Steve White

#10  This sort of thing used to raise my hackles (where are those, exactly?)

The "Hackles" refers to the hairs up the spine (On Horses) it generaly means a chill running up the spine (Since humans have no ridge of hair up their spine)
Posted by: Redneck Jim   2008-04-24 22:55  

#9  Im not saying he was right, but this seems to be stuff that happens in DC all the time. Like NIE's gets leaked to reporters, etc. Thats also quite illegal, but I havent heard the FBI charging off after that stuff. Franklin just gave teh info to a AIPAC instead of to a newspaper.
Posted by: liberalhawk   2008-04-24 16:12  

#8  Â“Franklin was sharing stuff with a friendly lobbyist…”

OhÂ…wellÂ…alrighty thenÂ…I get it. Kind of like the guy who caught his wife having an affair but after he discovered sheÂ’d been cheating with his good friend he felt sooo relieved that he continued to help pay his friends rent.
Posted by: DepotGuy   2008-04-24 14:36  

#7  1. I think they are quite aware of the costs of gathering intell. I think there was a strong sense in the polity that the early 1980s activity was a strategic mistake. That doesnt mean they would never do it, but the claim that they havent actually done any more activities of this type, is not ipso facto incredible.

2. Ive never heard Hillary did anything to get a pardon for Pollard. In the 90s there WAS a movement to get one - at that point the US was pressuring Israel to free Pal prisoners cause the conflict was "over" The response was, well then why not release Pollard, since the secrets he stole were related to the same conflict. Sy Hersh then wrote an article, sourced to unnamed CIA (irony?) that said Pollard had given stuff that the Israelis traded to the USSR for imprisoned Jewish scientists. At that point Clinton didnt dare pardon.


3. Franklin was sharing stuff with a friendly lobbyist, stuff he apparently thought was being shared at levels where it was authorized, in line with DOD goals, AFAIK. He mishandled docs though. But he wasnt exactly an agent being run, like Pollard was.
Posted by: liberalhawk   2008-04-24 13:47  

#6  Maybe.

Either way we ain't sending you the F-22.
Posted by: DarthVader   2008-04-24 13:14  

#5  If Israel operates anything like the US, spying and other covert ops are on a need-to-know basis, and very few are deemed needy, including the President or intel honchos.
Posted by: Thealing Borgia6122   2008-04-24 12:13  

#4  let 'em spy they'll do it anyway, they are very crafty... but at least they're on our side.
Posted by: Kublia Kahn   2008-04-24 10:08  

#3  "Israel said on Wednesday it has not conducted any spying on the United States since 1985..."

Oh reallyÂ…wonder what Lawrence Franklin has to say about that.
Posted by: DepotGuy   2008-04-24 08:39  

#2  I think you're right, Steve.

This sort of thing used to raise my hackles (where are those, exactly?) - but given the stupefying and outrageous behavior of USG employees WRT sensitive information and their astonishing pretentions to wiser-than-thou status since 9/11, I would consider the Israelis insane to not at least keep an eye on things.

Sort of on-topic, I'm wondering about US/Israeli intel cooperation that might have lead to the Syrian nuke site strike. Or was that another case of the pipsqueak helping out the blind colossus?
Posted by: Verlaine   2008-04-24 02:37  

#1  IIRC, Hillary was somehow involved in trying to get either a pardon, reduction of sentence or a transfer to an Israeli prison for Jonathan Pollard.
Posted by: Rambler in California   2008-04-24 01:16  

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