Interpretation of this classified information shows that it was at a security level far greater than the data Jonathan Pollard gave to the Israelis, when he was employed by U.S. naval intelligence. However, this is not just a case of “passing classified information to an ally” – the crime Pollard was convicted of violating; this is a flagrant case of espionage in its purest form – at a cost of millions of dollars.
1.
What the former American soldier revealed last week about the relationship between the United States and Eretz Yisroel should have been clear to anyone who understands the delicate dynamics existing between the world’s greatest superpower and its subservient ally in the Middle East.
It would seem that we are America’s most important and stable partner in this crazy region. Last week, however, it turned out that the United States had invested considerable efforts to spy on leading Israeli officials, including the minister of defense. For example, shortly after Ehud Barak received the defense portfolio, American secret agents rented an apartment near Barak’s home in Tel Aviv’s Tzameret Towers in order to observe him at close range.
Why is this happening to us? The answer is hidden at every step – even the smallest – within the mode of Israeli conduct toward the Americans. Newspaper headlines during the previous week were still dealing with the ridiculous proposal of Secretary of State John Kerry. He naively thinks that a four-star American general can supervise the security arrangements between us and the terrorist organizations to which he wants the government of Israel to hand over the Jordan Valley r”l. If the American Secretary of State acts in Eretz Yisroel as he does in his own country, and the Israeli government seriously considers him to be the person in charge here, why should he hesitate to spy on us after he has been made to understand that he’s the true boss?
Successive Israeli governments have enabled the Americans to set our national priorities. Begin traveled to Camp David merely because of pressure from the Carter Administration, but he eventually capitulated to all the American dictates. Shamir acted in a similar fashion, as he too journeyed to Madrid simply to appease the Americans. The Oslo Accords were signed because of the absurd fantasies of then-President Bill Clinton, who thought that this would earn him the Nobel Peace Prize. Furthermore, with all the irrational policies that followed, e.g., Netanyahu giving away Chevron, his signing of the agreement at Wye Plantation, George W. Bush’s “Road Map” – we have endured the lunacies of American presidents who have sought to put our house in order as they see fit.
2.
If anyone in Yerushalayim wants to conduct an in-depth discussion on the severe espionage crisis with the U.S. National Security Agency, he first has to ask: Who allowed the Americans to trample the honor of the Jewish homeland and its leaders in this manner? The answer is quite simple: The United States is not to blame for its atrocious display of disrespect towards a loyal ally – we are. The same Israeli policymakers who have no self-respect act with absolute inferiority – “so sorry that we won the war” – and this gives the Americans a license to honor us less and humiliate us more.
To understand exactly what the Americans are thinking, it’s enough to take a look at the conduct of the current Israeli government during the last two months. The incumbent prime minister once declared that anyone who says ‘Yes’ to a Palestinian state is saying ‘No’ to a Jewish state. How has he suddenly changed into a fervent supporter of the establishment of a ‘Palestinian’ state – the same person who not long ago called such an entity “Hamastan”? According to his closest advisors, these are merely statements designed to appease the Obama Administration. Thus, if the prime minister is whistling the tune his American benefactors want to hear, although his position is diametrically opposed to theirs, why should anyone have any respect for us?
Even Minister of Economics and Trade Naftali Bennett claims that he has no problem with the negotiations because “nothing will come out of them anyway,” as he believes that they’re only meant to placate the Americans. Yet, while he is supposed to represent the government’s right flank, all that goes by the wayside if the Americans are the ones making the decisions. If the United States government wants direct talks with the terrorist organizations, including on the issue of dividing Yerushalayim, even Bennett will sit up straight and give his consent.
3.
Let’s get back to the NSA espionage affair. An American serviceman with a top security clearance who carried out various high-level functions for U.S. intelligence decided to leave his post and began disclosing the classified information he had gathered. He has intermittently publicized material on how the United States has kept tabs on its allies. This has created an international firestorm.
This time it was our turn. From the sensitive data he chose to reveal it turns out that the United States has been spying on leading figures in the Israeli government, including close covert surveillance of former Prime Minister and then-Defense Minister Ehud Barak.
Interpretation of this classified information shows that it was at a security level far greater than the data Jonathan Pollard gave to the Israelis, when he was employed by U.S. naval intelligence. However, this is not just a case of “passing classified information to an ally” – the crime Pollard was convicted of violating; this is a flagrant case of espionage in its purest form – at a cost of millions of dollars.
Yet, Mr. Pollard remains in federal prison. The Obama Administration declared last week that it has no intention whatsoever of releasing him, despite this recent discovery of American hypocrisy. Sadly, once again, they relate to us as if we’re some illegitimate step-brother, while we keep smiling and say ‘Thank you.’