Newsweek’s articles only point out hypocrisy and ignorance in a US intelligence community that harbors a vindictive attitude towards Israel.
By Ron Ben Yishai, YNET NEWS
The second Newsweek article on Israel’s alleged spying efforts in the US, titled “Israel’s Aggressive Spying in the US Mostly Hushed Up”, embarrasses its author and sources almost more than the original piece published last Tuesday.
It serves as additional proof to what anyone who has ever worked in Washington DC and with the White House knows – American analysis of events pertaining to foreigners is at times distorted or even downright mistaken.
US security and intelligence officials have a tendency to judge the actions of others as if they were undertaken by the Americans, resulting in the pot calling the kettle black.
The US intelligence community, which eavesdrops on every corner of the known world, attributes the same to us at times, especially when it serves US interests. The best example of this is actually the incident regarding Israel’s alleged attempt to place a spy in Al Gore’s hotel room, the incident which opens Jeff Stein’s second Newsweek’s article.
The article cites a Secret Service man who reportedly secured the then-vice-president’s hotel room in Jerusalem, probably, the Kind David Hotel, and made sure the room was free of wire taps.
As is protocol in such cases, and this is well known to Israel’s security and intelligence officials, one Secret Service man remains in the hotel room to make sure it remains ‘clean’ and no would be assassins attempt to enter while the room is vacant.
According to the Newsweek report, the bodyguard was alone in the room when he suddenly heard a noise from the air-condition vent and saw its cover being removed from within the vent. Someone was allegedly attempting to enter the room through the now open duct.
The Secret Service agent then coughed to alert the intruder of his presence and the “Israeli spy” whom he reportedly caught red-handed, did an about-face and returned up the vent to whence he came. That is the article’s proof of Israel’s “aggressive” spy tactics.
Anyone in the loop knows that if Israeli intelligence services wanted to spy against Al Gore, it could have done so in numerous ways, especially while in Israel where they enjoy a home field advantage.
In this case, sadly and embarrassingly for Newsweek, it is probably no other than a hotel maintenance worker taking care of the AC system. It was probably nothing but a routine examination, one conducted in anticipation of the State visit of such a senior ranking figure.
The story is full of additionally ’embarrassing’ stories for the Israeli spy service, including stories of senior Israeli military industry CEOs being invited to the US for tours of possible business opportunities and these business trips were framed in the article as clear-cut proof of Israel’s malicious intentions.
As Yedioth Aharonoth’s Washington correspondent for almost seven years, the tendency of US intelligence officials to attribute their own MO to others is well known to me. In my mind there is no doubt that the Newsweek report did not make up the stories it reported.
It was fed the tales by former members in the US spy service and congressional aides privy to briefings by security officials. The resulting report is something between embarrassing and laughable, and testifies more than anything to a general lack of understanding regarding the workings of intelligence collection.
What is concerning is the motivation of those sources feeding Stein to pen two such stories, and they probably have three main responses for pushing such reports:
1. A desire to prevent the release of convicted US-Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard, and anger at the Obama administration’s willingness to succumb to Israeli pressure and offer his release in return for extending peace talks.
The deal never actualized, but US Secretary of State John Kerry’s success in convincing Obama to disregard the recommendations of his intelligence services – which have thus prevented his release with scandalous and baseless claims – have inspired their anger.
The anti-Israeli core of the US intelligence services have blocked Pollard’s release by claiming that Israel is still involved in spying against the US and has yet to divulge the full scope of Pollard’s work. His continued remand is their vengeance.
At the time of the reported deal, the head of the CIA threatened to quit should the release take place, and even former US President Bill Clinton expressed apprehension. The fact that Obama was even willing to move forward was an irregular step.
2. The move to allow Israel to join the exclusive Visa Waiver club, one of the pro-Israel lobby’s potentially greatest achievements, has invoked the anger of the US intelligence community. It is also possible that conservative republicans are using these unnamed former intelligence officials to slam Obama’s administration.
3. There is growing anger from US intelligence officials at their Israeli counterparts, who have repeatedly embarrassed them. For example, in an intelligence briefing from 2005 regarding Iran’s nuclear program the US intelligence community announced Iran had frozen its nuclear program.
Israel claimed that the assessment was mistaken and Israel was slammed for it, only to have the assessment’s authors recant and apologize only a few years later.
An additional such case of embarrassment took place in regards to Syrian President Bashar Assad’s usage of chemical weapons. Then head of the IDF Military Intelligence Maj.-Gen. Itai Baron, repeatedly claimed the Americans were mistaken, and that Assad had in fact used chemical weapons – and again the Americans had to put their foot in their mouth.
It is also worth recalling the American’s intelligence efforts against their “Israeli friends”, as was revealed by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden – a revelation which caused the US intelligence services no small amount of embarrassment. And the latter do not forget.
All these – the attempt to prevent the release of Pollard, the attempt to block Israel’s ascension to the Visa Waiver program, and the attempt to shame the Israeli intelligence community for its past transgressions, as well as the possible attempt to head-butt Obama, make up the motivation behind Newsweek’s second, but no less embarrassing, report on Israel’s alleged spy efforts against the US.
The WH must have given the go ahead for this disinformation to be released AT THIS TIME It is not a coincicence:
1-Israel did not tow the line on concessions in the talks and Kerry already threatened that violence will break out. We should expect false flags of incitement in Israel and CIA facilitation of terror attacks. They have done this before
2- Israel is a PUBLIC obstruction and embarassment to Obamas planned Iran negotiations coup to coincide to give the Dems the midterms. Israel must be discredited.
3-The recent rebuff of the Soros front org Jstreet, created specifically as a faux Jewsih support group for Obama and his policies. Obamas, spying release will cause resentment to US jews and be an incitement against them as in historical incitements and libels. They are to be cowed to support Jstreet aagianst Israel and for Obama.
4- the bankrupt whore stooge Newsweek got an exclusive to be a WH stooge. It is all a fabrication designed as a typical anti semitic libel and incitement.
The timing is the key, suddenly all these anti Israel statement appear.
I have been following the ongoing campaign against Pollard being conducted by former intelligence officials and Joe DiGenova, former U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia. For example. there is the book of accusations by Ronald Olive, a former Naval Intelligence security official who apparently investigated Pollard, and another former intelligence official, Spike Bowman. There are apparently others. The gist of the accusations is that Pollard did severe damage to American interest and, according to some of the current accusations, could do more damage to American interests if released. The problem is, they are making allegations that went far beyond anything that Pollard was charged with, and many are just accusations, nothing more. Further, the allegations of harm caused by Pollard might be harm to American interests that was caused by other spies, like Aldrich Ames. Pollard was accused of turning over American secrets that he has denied turning over. This is the first time I’ve ever seen a continuing prosecution, long after the original proceedings were concluded. Pollard is being continuously accused, and continuously tried, in the court of public opinion. The charges now go far beyond his original charges. It also seems that false, malicious and incendiery allegations were made against Pollard in a sentencing document provided to the judge after the plea bargain (which Pollard later tried to withdraw). were apparently untrue and malicious. Some of the charges were designed to rile up the African American judge, Aubrey Robinson, who was upset at the allegations of Israeli cooperation with South Africa, notwithstanding that Pollard had nothing to do with, much less responsibility for, Israel’s ties to that country. That’s why, former intelligence officials, like James Woolsey, former CIA Director, now rightly question whether the continuing campaign and the continuing imprisonment are the result of anti-semitism. I think the latest Newsweek stories, and the efforts of some in our government to plant them, are the result of a cynical and slanderous campaign against Israel. This is all of a piece, and seems to be evidence of a growing and hostile public relations campaign against Israel as a subversive foreign enemy. I guess this is Alinsky-ite tactics applied to foreign affairs.
I would think the Israelis would be better at eavesdropping than this bungling attempt to listen through the air conditioning system. Why did the remaining American secret service agent cough to warn the alleged eavesdropper away? Why not just let him come in? If you scare him off, you know that he will probably make another attempt. Better to let him come in, if that’s what he’s going to do, and apprehend him. That’s the best way to put a stop to it permanently. If it was an air conditioning repair person, then why would he enter the system from the inside? I’ve never seen anybody repair a central air conditioning system from inside. Who could even fit inside? Perhaps the Israelis do use this method; I remember reading that there was no explanation of how the Israelis entered the room of the Hamas operative they killed in Dubai in 2010. There are so many other problems with this story: if the Israelis were aware that it was customary for the security detail of the visiting official to leave an agent in the room at all times, why would the Israelis do something as so obtrusive as to try to enter the room through the duct system? This is surely a very noisy task. If this is how clumsy and sloppy the Mossad is, they have some serious problems. What was the agent moving through the duct system supposed to do, go back into the room and plant bugs after it was swept? If the Mossad thinks that is a viable option, then I would think the Mossad is seriously amateur. Maybe it is–there are reports and stories that they handle the Dubai operation in a fairly amateurish way, leaving tracks all over the place. it just seems common sense that an intelligence agency like the Mossad would not think that it could plant bugs in a foreign official’s room after knowing that it had been swept–that means the Mossad had so little regard for the American security as to think that the Americans would leave the room unintended after sweeping it. I’m not an expert in this area, but common sense suggests that this story is incredible, and likely, untrue. I can’t believe American intelligence and security is so bad, nor the Mossad.
@ ebyjeeby:
I think it’s caused by inbreeding…
The US’s Intelligence community and State dept. needs a 100% refresh of personnel. Where do we get these people?
Why spy on Gore or Biden, they’re such blabber mouths is not necessary.
The book “The Secret War Against the Jews” by Loftus and Aarons was published back in 1994. It is the product of immense research and documents ongoing U.S. espionage against Israel from the beginning. The Jewish establishment in the U.S. was too cowardly to even pay attention. That book alone could have put the anti Israel elements on the defensive and weakened their ability to sabotage and smear Israel. We get betrayed by hostile U.S. officials and even by our own Jewish leaders.
Several years ago, a false intelligence story published by Newsweek concerning American troop actions in Afghanistan was directly responsible for American deaths.
The attack on the Liberty is another story that constantly gets recycled, no matter how many investigations prove that the Israeli account is 100% correct. Personally, I blame the NSA since they told the Navy commander of the liberty not to move and U.S. Navy told Israel that the Navy had no ships in the area. This meant that a unknown vessel was a hostile.