CIA, FBI Spying on Israel
By
Joel Leyden
Israel News Agency
Jerusalem---August
28.....This headline coming out of Israel sounds absurd. Almost as ludicrous
as allegations coming from the FBI today that Israel is spying on the
US. It's a sensationalistic headline that would make every Islamic terrorist
smile.
The Associated Press reported today that the FBI is investigating
whether a Pentagon analyst passed on to Israel secret materials about
White House deliberations on Iran. The AP copy suggested that an investigation
could strain US - Israeli relations and "muddy the Bush administration's
Middle East policy."
Is the CIA and the FBI with its post 9/11 millions of dollars taking a friendly peek from time to time at Israeli diplomatic and military movements? Of course they are. But is Israel responding with a public outcry? Is Israel interested in US policy towards its enemies, for sure but this tiny democratic nation would never embarrass the US, it's closet friend and ally, with covert operations against the US since the lessons learned from the Pollard Affair. The sharing of real-time intelligence information between the US and Israel since the USS Liberty incident and the Pollard Affair has never been greater with cooperation taking place at every level of both governments security organizations. Both the US and Israel share common enemies and exchange information on Iran, Syria and other terror regimes on an hourly basis.
The question people should be asking is who is trying to play divide and conquer with the US and Israel? Which country and or terrorist organization would benefit the most from these headlines?
The AP reported that no arrests have been made, citing two federal law enforcement officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the continuing investigation. A third law enforcement official, also speaking anonymously, said an arrest in the case could come as early as next week. Kind of strange is it not that everyone is speaking "anonymously". It appears that on one really wants to take responsibility for this one ton lemon.
Furthermore, two of US officials raised the possibility the government might not bring espionage charges, but rather lesser ones that could include the mishandling of sensitive government material. So are we saying here that there really is not a case. Is the FBI consciously taking hits at Israel or is the FBI being fed material by a pro-Islamic state which will embarrass this excellent organization one day.
And if the FBI really had concrete information why not reveal who the Israeli spy is. The officials refused to identify the Pentagon employee under investigation but said the person is an analyst in the office of Douglas J. Feith, undersecretary of defense for policy, the Pentagon's No. 3 official. Feith is an influential aide to Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld who works on sensitive policy issues including U.S. policy toward Iraq and Iran. Feith's office includes a group assigned specifically to work on Iran.
He also oversaw the Pentagon's defunct Office of Special Plans, which critics said fed policy-makers uncorroborated prewar intelligence on President Saddam Hussein's Iraq, especially involving purported ties with the al-Qaida terror network. Pentagon officials have said the office was a small operation that provided fresh analysis on existing intelligence.
The Pentagon said in a statement that the investigation involves an employee at "the desk officer level, who was not in a position to have significant influence over U.S. policy. Nor could a foreign power be in a position to influence U.S. policy through this individual."
White House spokesman Scott McClellan, traveling with President Bush on a campaign visit in Dayton, Ohio, said he was not in a position to discuss a continuing investigation.
"Obviously, any time there is an allegation of this nature, it's a serious matter," he said.
Pentagon officials refused comment.
David Siegel, a spokesman for the Israeli Embassy in Washington, said, "We categorically deny these allegations. They are completely false and outrageous." What Mr. Siegel forget to ask the press was where would these charges be emanating from in a season when Israel wept at the sight of a burning World Trade Center and the US has lost security personnel in Gaza to Palestinian Islamic terrorists.
One of the US law enforcement officials said the person was not in a policy-making position but had access to extremely sensitive information about U.S. policy toward Iran.
The AP stated that the investigation centers on whether the Pentagon analyst passed secrets about U.S. policy on Iran to the main pro-Israeli lobbying group in Washington, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, which then was said to have given the secrets to the Israeli government, one official said. Both AIPAC and Israel deny the allegations. Why would AIPAC even think of assisting a covert operation such what is being mentioned today when they told Pollard to go to hell with his information back in the 1980's.
In Israel, the chairman of the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee said Saturday that Israel worries about Iran's nuclear policies. But Yuval Steinitz said he is confident the government has not abandoned a 20-year-old decision not to spy on the United States.
Bush has identified Iran as part of an "axis of evil," along with North Korea and the Iraqi government deposed by the U.S.-led invasion last year.
Yet his administration has battled internally over how hard a line to take toward Iran. The State Department generally has advocated more moderate positions. More conservative officials in the Defense Department and some at the White House's National Security Council have advocated tougher policies.
Israel, one of the United States' strongest allies, has worked behind its conservative prime minister, Ariel Sharon, to push the United States toward a tougher stance against Iran. The Israeli tactics have raised questions whether inside information may have been used to try to influence U.S. policy.
AIPAC said in a statement that the lobbying group was "fully cooperating with the governmental authorities and will continue to do so." It said any allegation of criminal conduct by the group or its employees was "baseless and false."
The Pentagon investigation has included wiretapping and surveillance and searches of the suspected Pentagon employee's computer, the law enforcement officials said.
Israel and Iran have been in an increasingly hostile war of words in recent months.
So again, we ask,
in who's interest is it to have this so-called Israeli spy story come
out on a Saturday for the US Sunday papers?
Let's think about Iran, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Libya, Hamas, Islamic Jihad,
Yasser Arafat and a guy named Bin-Laden.
Former Mossad head
Danny Yatom told Army Radio this evening that Israel, which enjoys excellent
intelligence relations with the US, could not possibly have been spying
on the US military.
As you read this text right now elite Israel Defense Forces and US commando
teams are training together. And the governmental techies on both sides
of the Atlantic are sharing digital data of both Islamic terrorist's text
and images. US and Israeli armed forces and intelligence organizations
are on the same page, same paragraph and the same word.
The tactic of using "divide and conquer" has been used over and over again by the enemies of Western democracies for ages. We should all be asking isn't this just a bit too transparent and why is someone at the FBI playing a lead in this destructive play.