Posted on 08/30/2013 2:16:12 AM PDT by lbryce
After the link and article is the excerpt of the thread as enclosed below which can be seen on the original post at the link provided.
Full Title:Leaked Documents Reveal US Sees Israel as a Major Spying Threat
The Obama administration views Israel as one of the top spying threats facing its intelligence services, leaked documents reveal. A secret budget request obtained by The Washington Post from former NSA contractor Edward Snowden lumps Israel alongside U.S. foes Iran and Cuba as “key targets” for U.S. counterintelligence efforts.
The document suggests Israel does not believe U.S. assurances that its interests are aligned with Israel's on crucial issues such as Iran and peace talks with the Palestinians. “To further safeguard our classified networks, we continue to strengthen insider threat detection capabilities across the Community,” reads the FY 2013 congressional budget justification for intelligence programs. “In addition, we are investing in target surveillance and offensive CI [counterintelligence] against key targets, such as China, Russia, Iran, Israel, Pakistan and Cuba.”
The White House and the Israeli Embassy did not respond to requests for comment. The revelations come as no surprise to Georgetown University's Paul Pillar, who retired as the national intelligence officer for the Near East in 1995 after a 28-year career in U.S. intelligence. Israeli spying, he said, has remained a major threat since U.S. citizen Jonathan Pollard received a life sentence in 1987 in a massive spying case that gravely strained relations between the two countries. “Israel should be assumed to continue to have an aggressive intelligence collection operations against the United States,” Pillar said. While much information is collected through traditional political contacts, “I would personally have no doubt that that is supplemented by whatever means they can use to find out as much as they can about what we're doing, thinking, deciding on anything of interest to Israel, which would include just about any Middle Eastern topic.”
The issues of continued Israeli settlement construction and Obama's strong interest in reaching a negotiated settlement to avoid a confrontation with Iran over its nuclear program, Pillar said, are two issues where U.S. and Israeli interests “certainly diverge,” he said. Spying, he said, could give Israel “warning indicators” before any public decisions, and enable the country to put its “political machine in action” and get the United States to reconsider. “If I were in [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu's shoes and had his perspective,” Pillar said, “I would spare no effort to try to collect every bit of intelligence I could, in secret as well as openly.” He said the public revelations won't impact U.S.-Israeli relations. “Everything is trumped by political realities,” Pillar said. “Don't expect any statement by the White House press secretary tomorrow that says, 'Oh my gosh, we are really upset with the Israelis for trying to spy on us'. You're never going to hear anything like that, because politically it is hazardous for basically any American politician – and certainly an incumbent American administration – to underscore ... the divergence of U.S. and Israeli interests.”
Post # 26
To: Third Person
I get livid, full of rage when I come across reports of Israel spying on our country. I am a Jewish supporter of Israel and its Zionist perspective but I am an American, first and foremost, jingoistic patriot in a manner that transcends any other of my allegiances.
Assurances from the Israeli government over allegations of spying that span decades with promises never again to engage in such activities, only to be caught again is shameless and sinister and Israel should be punished for such deeds to the fullest extent.
I've also always believed the punishment against Pollard in receiving one of the harshest sentences in history for the espionage committed is one he richly deserves and not be released until he serves out the full sentence.
I must say, it's reports like this that make me so very ashamed of Israel, so very ashamed for the utter betrayal they continue to commit without abandon.
26 posted on Thursday, August 29, 2013 10:41:12 PM by lbryce (The 22nd Amendment Lives:1142 Days Until America's Greatest Nemesis Gets the Heave "Ho")
Post #32 To: lbryce Dude: We love Israel. Israel loves us. And you’re right, Pollard should have burned long ago. But we spy on each other. We all spy on each other. There are plenty of books and articles about this phenomenon: The UK spies on us and vice versa. France tries to spy on us, and everything that isn’t nailed to the floor leaks out of France. We also share secrets and technology. It’s just how things are. And heck, the posters are right: Obama is a threat to Israel, he’s said it, he’s declared it, he’s proved it. Does that mean we are at war with Israel? No, we just have a crummy President right now. They know it, we know it.
32 posted on Friday, August 30, 2013 1:26:15 AM by golux
To:golux
Post #34
Yeah, I see what you mean. You want to take the high moral ground, which I can well understand as you've said; we all spy on each other and it’s just how things are.
If I take your rationale for the ghastly justification in which you advocate one country spying on another whose very magnanimity, benevolence, largesse it owns its very soul to because we all spy on each other and it's just how things are then I can apply the same logic, if that's what you want to call it, to justify murder because we all kill each other and it's just how things are.
I don't know who you think you are. You speak to me as if I'm some wet-behind-the-ears novice of some sort to take under your wing and teach me the way of the world. You are naive beyond words, your morality, scruples, beyond redemption, your willingness to betray your country is an anathema to all, everything I believe in.
I assume you are of the Jewish faith and if so you are a shameless embarrassment to the rest of us deserved of the status of pariah. It's people like you, the duplicitous, ungracious, exploitative persona that festers within, that belie the high moral ground most of us as Jews choose to take in life, things like honor, patriotism, service in duty of, that comes too hard for you but is to the rest of us a noble, divine calling.
34 posted on Friday, August 30,2013 4:40:32 AM by lbryce
(The 22nd Amendment Lives:1142 Days Until America's Greatest Nemesis Gets the Heave "Ho")
So you didn’t really mean this?
“In what is arguably one of the worst political events in US history, the election of Obama, we are forced to stand by and watch the piecemeal destruction of our very nation, the very political, economic dismantling of this great country of ours, the greatest country in history, by what is the greatest, most insidious nemesis America has ever known or faced.”
Because this administration has leaked intelligence harmful to Israel, against our own best interests.
This administration has armed OURS and Israel’s, make that the WORLD’S, worst enemies to the teeth and supported them with American taxpayer dollars.
This administration and several previous administations have done everything in their power to destroy Israel from within and without and might have succeeded if Israel hadn’t stayed on its toes.
WE have interfered in Israeli elections, had Netanyahu investigated for years on false charges, nearly succeeded with the clinton toadie barak to divide Jerusalem, But YOU are ashamed of ISRAEL???
SO ashamed that you would write a vanity to proclaim your undying patriotism with no thought to right or wrong when this administration has people ON THE GROUND INSIDE ISRAEL at this very moment fomenting an arab uprising within Israel proper, financing homes for palestinians, doing everything it can to undermine the Israeli government and Israel’s sovereignty??
SO ashamed that you would sit quietly and idly by while arab muslims are carrying out genocide against Jews and Christians in every country in the ME and throughout Africa? It is happening in Europe as well and Israel would be a holocaust if obama has his way?
THEN what do you think will happen inside THIS country should THAT succeed? Did their proclamation of ‘patriotism’ help them in Germany and Poland, Lithuania amd anywhere else hitler cast his gaze?
Wow.
Ping...in case you didn’t see this.
Nicely done. You pointed out the hypocrisy inherent in that rage-filled screed and smothered it with facts.
He’s already got the ping from the original article in which the thread was posted.
I'm expecting an onslaught from AIPAC and all the allies it can muster. My attitude and arguments made in my post are unimpeachable and anyone who might try to malign me with convoluted, pained attacks, will by inference end up on the side of supporting Israel's decades long spying efforts on the US.
I am surprised at you. I mean that. Being a Jew doesn’t mean you have to agree with everything Israel does. There are many things I could criticize, but trying to ensure its survival is not one of them. obama is an enemy of the free world...or what USED to be the free world.
Makes sense when you understand who and what Barack Obama is.
As I said in my most recent post, my attitude and arguments are unimpeachable and anyone offering up convoluted, pained
attempts in defense of the poster will by inference be supporting Israel’s decade-long spying efforts on the US.
You are “surprised” at me. On what basis is that? Be careful
to tread gingerly on the direction you want to take down this
hazardous road.
You misunderstand me. I believe that Israel is facing an existential threat brought on by our President and the fundamental transformation he is trying to impose on the US and the world. The Obama administration has shared secret Israeli information about multiple military actions and has tried to create a Muslim Brotherhood government next to Israel, first in Egypt and now in Syria. Obama was quoted by the radical Muslim head of the Electronic Intifada that he was going to take care of Israel during his second administration.
In light of all if this it would be inexcusable for Israel NOT to amass data on the thoughts percolating through the US from whatever source is available.
I is not as though the US is shocked — shocked — to find there did spying going on. The US has turned the world upside down following revalations of the limitless spying on US citizens as well as people and institutions around the world. It is not rational to expect that Israel will not use any intelligence-gathering resource it can find to protect itself from the evil depredations of the Obama government.
You are making the very exact same rationale for Israel spying on the US as Pollard did. Do you understand the ramifications of what you are doing? Think carefully before you post another word because before you know what hits you
you will find yourself strung up high, very high, by your own petard. If I were your attorney I would advise you to keep your mouth shut and your computer off.
It makes no difference if the entire Congress turned on Israel. Nothing, nothing could possibly justify Israel’s attempt at espionage against this country. There is no justification imaginable. Israel has survived, prospered on the generosity, largesse of the US to untold billions and for that alone it should keep its cotton-picking spies out of our country.
Just one example of how the US saved Israel was the caravan of Galaxy C-5A's ordered by President Nixon that turned the tide at the very last minute flying in and out of Israel every five minutes or so, so compelling were the sight of Galaxy C-5A's flying in to Israel Galaxy was coined as a new Israeli word.
I respect whatever opinion you have.
bmfl
“Think carefully before you post another word because before you know what hits you you will find yourself strung up high, very high, by your own petard. If I were your attorney I would advise you to keep your mouth shut and your computer off.”
Cut it out with the threats and moral hubris. You don’t have a corner on the market as to speaking for Israel and/or her motives. Our own country is spying right now on all of us. The world is full of spies, Israel included. If I were Israel, I’d be spying on the Obama Admin full time as they are constantly conspiring against Israel and her self interests. Obama and his minions are this very moment seeking to undermine Israel and stab her in the back.
If you can’t see that you are extremely myopic, and I don’t understand for one minute your vituperative behavior. Are you a self loathing Jew? What’s your basic problem in life? Are you a Dem that lives in the land of pure ideals rather than pragmatic reality? Stop the threats. They are extremely unattractive.
Thank you. I think yours is not backed by facts and if followed would lead Israel down a path to its own destruction. It has been a century since the view was expressed in the foreign service, and not even in the US foreign service, that “gentlemen don’t read other gentlemen’s mail”. Israel has to be able to know what is coming its way, and no longer can rely on te American government to share information fundamental to Israel’s ability to defend itself.
Everyone in Israel knows that the US has a huge spying operation in a multi-story building in the heart of Tel-Aviv.
I would consider it immoral for Israel to decide not toget the information that could save hundreds of thousands of lives in country and maybe even make the difference for its continued survival as a nation.
Very good points, MM.
It’s been clear from the beginning of this administration that Obama has dissed Israel and continues to provide aid to her enemies.
Obama and his TWO ineffective Sectys. of St. have continuously ‘demanded’ that Israel stop building living accommodations on their own land. This administration is full of idiots!!
Reread the posts. I think you and MestaMachine are in agreement.
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