The US State Department under Condoleezza Rice instructed its Tel Aviv embassy employees to collect personal information about Palestinian leaders and closely monitor Israeli military and telecommunications capabilities, according to a diplomatic cable released by WikiLeaks.
In a 2008 cable, Rice told US diplomats to pass on credit card numbers, frequent flier numbers, work schedules and other personal information of Palestinians, The cable also asked for extensive tracking of Israelis and Palestinian views on the peace process, contacts with Hamas, settlements and attitudes towards the American administration, among other issues.
It called on US diplomats to report on “IDF tactics, techniques and procedures for conducting conventional and unconventional counterinsurgency and counterterrorist operations.”
"Government of Israel Plans, Policies, and Actions
1) Israeli Leadership Plans and Intentions on the Peace Process.
--Government of Israel (GOI) leadership's negotiating positions, strategies, and goals in interactions with the Fatah-affiliated Palestinian Authority officials, with supporters or elements affiliated with HAMAS, and with other Palestinian parties concerned with the peace process.
--Israeli leaders' perceptions of and relations with Palestinian leaders and negotiating counterparts. Evidence of informal channels, either sanctioned or unsanctioned by the Israeli leadership, to discuss peace steps with Palestinian leaders.
--Israeli leadership views and intentions regarding the impact of their negotiations with Syria on their negotiations with the Palestinians.
--Israel's decision-making process for launching military operations and determining retaliation for terrorist attacks.
--Israeli leaders' involvement in decisions on response to terrorist attacks.
--Israeli leadership intentions and strategy toward managing the US relationship; views of prime minister and advisors toward the US and its counterterrorism policies. Israeli thoughts and views on impact of Israeli domestic politics, including changes in GOI leadership, on GOI approach to and conduct of the peace process and negotiations.
--Views and actions on prisoner swaps/releases; information on Israel's treatment of Palestinian prisoners or detainees, including interrogation methods.
--Details on Israel Defense Forces (IDF) operations underway or planned against the HAMAS-controlled Palestinian militants in Gaza, terrorists, or terrorist infrastructure, including targeted assassinations and tactics/techniques used by ground and air units.
--Israeli efforts to counter short-range rockets and mortars.
--IDF preparations to conduct increased operations against Palestinian targets in the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and Lebanon.
--Impact of Israeli efforts against rocket attacks on Israeli views of security.
--IDF preparations to conduct combat operations against Hizballah or Syrian targets along Israel's northern border or m inside Lebanon or Syria.
--Evidence of Government of Israel support for or opposition to actions to limit and/or reduce settlement and outpost growth and construction.
--Information on leaders of the Israeli settlement establishment, including Golan settlers, their ideology, motivations and who they claim to represent.
--Details about information repositories associated with radio frequency identification (RFID)-enabled systems used for passports, government badges, and transportation systems.
--Official and personal phone numbers, fax numbers, and e-mail addresses of principal civilian and military leaders"....
In the wake of these revelations by Wikileaks, Deputy Speaker of the Knesset Danny Danon called today on Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to intensify his efforts for the release of Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard. Danon harshly criticized the hypocrisy of the American government which spied on its allies for years while holding Pollard in prison for decades under extremely harsh conditions.
"In lights of the reports published by Wikileaks, I call on the Israeli government to immediately file an official request with the US administration demanding the release of Jonathan Pollard, It is hypercritical for the American government – which we now know has continuously spied on its allies and even operated a 'mole' within a friendly government – to continue to keep Jonathan imprisoned while ordering American civil servants to commit similar acts."
