Suspicions of espionage: Israel accused of monitoring its own American allies

A new affair risks casting a shadow over relations between Washington and Tel Aviv. According to an investigation by New York Timesthe Pentagon has raised its assessment of the counterintelligence threat linked to Israel to the maximum level, following new reports of surveillance operations targeting American officials engaged in negotiations with Iran. According to several assessments by American intelligence services, Israel has intensified its efforts to spy on senior officials of the Trump administration in order to know in advance American positions in discussions with Tehran. Among the personalities targeted would be Steve Witkoff, the special emissary of the American president, as well as several officials from the Department of Defense.

American intelligence notably mentions the discovery of surveillance software on the phones of American personnel present in Israel. Other incidents, mentioned in intelligence assessments, document repeated attempts to clandestinely collect sensitive information regarding Washington’s strategic decisions.

These accusations are particularly serious since they concern a state which has benefited for decades from unprecedented military, diplomatic and financial support from the United States. Despite this privileged alliance, Israel is regularly accused by certain American officials of pursuing its own strategic objectives, including to the detriment of the interests of its main ally. The affair reminds us that Israeli espionage on American soil is not a fantasy. The Jonathan Pollard affair, which delivered thousands of classified American documents to Israel, remains one of the most serious espionage scandals in United States history. Since then, several American administrations have continued to suspect Israeli services of carrying out clandestine operations against Washington while benefiting from its unconditional support.

According to officials cited by the New York TimesIsrael’s objective today would be to torpedo or influence discussions with Iran, the outcome of which could thwart the ambitions of Benjamin Netanyahu’s government. Israeli authorities would fear that an agreement negotiated between Washington and Tehran would reduce their ability to impose their own regional agenda. Israel has rejected the accusations and says it does not spy on American officials. But the fact that U.S. intelligence services have deemed it necessary to elevate Israel to the status of a “critical” counterintelligence threat is a particularly serious signal. It reveals a growing distrust of an ally who, despite the massive aid he receives, continues to be suspected of monitoring and manipulating the decisions of his main protector.

This affair highlights a paradox that is increasingly difficult to ignore: while American taxpayers finance billions of dollars in aid to Israel each year and Washington ensures its diplomatic protection on the international scene, American intelligence services continue to consider the Jewish state as one of the most active foreign actors when it comes to clandestinely collecting information on American decision-making centers.