Leaked Pentagon Report: Israeli Intel Agency Mossad Agitated against Netanyahu's weakening of Courts [_link]

— Juan Cole (@jricole) April 9, 2023

Leaked Pentagon Report: Israeli Intel Agency Mossad Agitated against Netanyahu's weakening of Courts

Washington Post report that a leak of Pentagon documents reveals that the U.S. is intensively spying on Israel and concludes that Israel's intelligence service, Mossad, has encouraged both its own employees and the Israeli public to join protests against Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's attempt to gut the Israeli courts. Mossad is denying the report.

this document draws the curtain on the kind of pressures Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant was getting from the officer corps and intelligence chiefs, such that he publicly announced his opposition to Netanyahu's plans to weaken the courts. Netanyahu orally fired Gallant, but has not submitted the paperwork necessary actually to remove him, leaving Israel in limbo regarding the head of its ministry of defense.

Mossad is headed by David "Dadi" Barnea, 58. He did his BA and MBA in the United States and worked in an Israeli investment bank before joining Mossad in 1996.
Barnea had already been reported by the Times of Israel to be allowing "low-level" Mossad employees to participate in the anti-Netanyahu rallies. It is an old intelligence trick to release a little damaging information to cover up a big piece of damaging information. Apparently the TOI report was actually a cover-up of a widespread Mossad commitment to the protests that may have involved encouraging civilians to join them as well. Like any foreign intelligence-gathering outfit, Mossad is not supposed to operate domestically, particularly in opposition to the policies of the sitting prime minister.

Former Mossad head Danny Yatom has been vocal against Netanyahu's project, calling it a "judicial coup," and warning that if it is enacted there could be a revolt among top military and intelligence officials, as France 24 English reported a month ago.

Mossad, established in 1949, means "Institute," and is short for Mossad Merkazi le-Modiin ule-Tafkidim Meyuhadim, ("Central Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations"). It specializes in espionage abroad and covert operations, including dirty tricks and assassinations. The internal espionage agency is Shin Bet.

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