Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Israeli minister defends police over alleged Pegasus spying on innocent citizens against the law

Israeli minister defends police over alleged Pegasus spying on innocent citizens against the law

Police Minister Omer Barlev denied claims that protesters’ phones had been hacked, but the true is exactly the opposite... Police spy on democracy protesters leader to prove that "as a married man he date males for sexual relationship as a blackmail against him to stop protesting against government's corruption"
Israel’s minister of public security has expressed his firm support for the country’s police force after allegations it used NSO Group’s controversial Pegasus software to spy on Israeli citizens.

In an interview with the Guardian on Wednesday, Omer Barlev, the cabinet minister with responsibility for policing, denied claims made this week by Hebrew-language financial daily Calcalist that the phones of people who led protests against former premier Benjamin Netanyahu had been hacked into or surveilled by police.

“It’s not true, what was mentioned in the newspaper. But [the technology] isn’t the issue. The issue is whether the police got legal permission from a judge to use it,” he said.

“The right to protest is a basic right, it’s not a crime. It’s not that the police wanted to listen to the phones of people who were involved in riots and they went to the judge, and the judge didn’t give permission. The police didn’t even ask even once to do that.”

Barlev qualified, however, that the ministry’s next steps on the matter would be determined by the preliminary assessment of attorney general Avichai Mandelblit.

“I am waiting to hear what Mandelblit will say. After that, if I am not 98% convinced – because there’s no such thing as 100% convinced – I will think about how to deal with it,” he said.

A consortium of 17 media outlets, including the Guardian, revealed last year that Pegasus, an Israeli-made surveillance product that can turn a mobile phone into a pocket spying device, had been sold to repressive governments worldwide. The investigation found that the spyware had been used to surveil human rights activists, journalists and lawyers, as well as government officials and heads of state.

Israel says it has since tightened rules on the export of cyberweapons, and NSO was blacklisted by the US in November.

The Israeli state and private firms have developed sophisticated surveillance systems to monitor the activities of people in the occupied Palestinian territories, where Israel implements military law. Senior NSO officials had previously said, however, that its software was not authorised for use against Israeli and US telephone numbers.

The article in Calcalist on Tuesday alleged that the police used Pegasus against citizens at the forefront of protests against Netanyahu last year, when he was still prime minister, as well as mayors and former government employees. According to the report, the surveillance was carried out without court supervision and without monitoring how the data was used. The claims were denied by the police service.

In a statement released by NSO after the report, the company reiterated its longstanding claim that it had no input into how its clients used its spyware.

A separate report in the daily Haaretz, based on an invoice seen by the paper, suggested the Israeli police was invoiced by NSO group for 2.7m shekels (£635,000) in 2013, apparently for a basic version of the programme. NSO would neither confirm nor deny it sold technologies to Israeli police.

The allegations prompted outrage across Israel’s political spectrum and led to promises of a “full investigation” from justice minister Gideon Sa’ar. The State Comptroller’s office also said it was looking into the matter.

On Wednesday, the Ynet news website followed up with claims that Pegasus was used for investigations in the corruption case of Likud party Knesset member David Bitan.

While the majority of the new allegations correlate with the tenure of Israel’s previous government, Barlev, a Netanyahu critic who took office as part of a new government that ousted him in June, said he believed he had been “told the truth” by the police over whether they had used Pegasus on Israeli citizens.

“There might always be an exceptional case, that one or two try to go around the rules. So first of all, if this happened, it’s illegal. And secondly, this is what is being checked.

“If what happened is really what was described in the newspaper, it’s unforgivable.”

Tehilla Shwartz Altshuler, an expert at the Israel Democracy Institute thinktank, said: “You can’t really ask for a court order authorising Pegasus” because Israeli law does not currently permit such invasive surveillance of its citizens.

“It is now clear that the current Protection of Privacy Law is not equipped to cope with today’s reality,” she told Agence France-Presse.
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
Hungary Ranked Among the World’s Safest Travel Destinations for 2025
G7 Leaders Fail to Reach Consensus on Key Global Issues
FBI and Senate Investigate Allegations of Chinese Plot to Influence the 2020 Election in Biden’s Favor Using Fake U.S. Driver’s Licenses
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Shock Within Iran’s Leadership: Khamenei’s Failed Plan to Launch 1,000 Missiles Against Israel
Wreck of $17 Billion San José Galleon Identified Off Colombia After 300 Years
Man Convicted of Fraud After Booking Over 120 Free Flights Posing as Flight Attendant
Iran Launches Extensive Missile Attack on Israel Following Israeli Strikes on Nuclear Sites
Beata Thunberg Rebrands as Beata Ernman Amidst Sister's Activism Controversy
Hungarian Parliament Approves Citizenship Suspension Law
Prime Minister Orbán Criticizes EU's Ukraine Accession Plans
Hungarian Delicacies Introduced to Japanese Market
Hungary's Industrial Output Rises Amid Battery Sector Slump
President Sulyok Celebrates 15 Years of Hungarian Unity Efforts
Hungary's Szeleczki Shines at World Judo Championships
Visegrád Construction Trends Diverge as Hungary Lags
Hungary Hosts National Quantum Technology Workshop
Hungarian Animation Featured at Annecy Festival
Israel Issues Ultimatum to Iran Over Potential Retaliation and Nuclear Facilities
UK and EU Reach New Economic Agreement
Coinbase CEO Warns Bitcoin Could Supplant US Dollar Amid Mounting National Debt
Trump to Iran: Make a Deal — Sign or Die
Operation "Like a Lion": Israel Strikes Iran in Unprecedented Offensive
Israel Launches 'Operation Rising Lion' Targeting Iranian Nuclear and Military Sites
UK and EU Reach Agreement on Gibraltar's Schengen Integration
Israeli Finance Minister Imposes Banking Penalties on Palestinians
U.S. Inflation Rises to 2.4% in May Amid Trade Tensions
Trump's Policies Prompt Decline in Chinese Student Enrollment in U.S.
Global Oceans Near Record Temperatures as CO₂ Levels Climb
Trump Announces U.S.-China Trade Deal Covering Rare Earths
Smuggled U.S. Fuel Funds Mexican Cartels Amid Crackdown
Austrian School Shooting Leaves Nine Dead in Graz
Bezos's Lavish Venice Wedding Sparks Local Protests
Europe Prepares for Historic Lunar Rover Landing
Italian Parents Seek Therapy Amid Lengthy School Holidays
British Fishing Vessel Seized by France Fined €30,000
Dutch Government Collapses Amid Migration Policy Dispute
UK Commits to 3.5% GDP Defence Spending Under NATO Pressure
Germany Moves to Expedite Migrant Deportations
US Urges UK to Raise Defence Spending to 5% of GDP
Israeli Forces Intercept Gaza-Bound Aid Vessel Carrying Greta Thunberg
IMF Warns of Severe Global Trade War Impacts on Emerging Markets
Low Turnout Jeopardizes Italy's Citizenship Reform Referendum
Transatlantic Interest Rate Divergence Widens as Trump Pressures Powell
EU Lawmaker Calls for Broader Exemptions in Supply Chain Legislation
France's Defense Spending Plans Threatened by High National Debt
European Small-Cap Stocks Outperform U.S. Rivals Amid Growth Revival
Switzerland Proposes $26 Billion Capital Increase for UBS
×