US Company Sues Israeli Army for ‘Stealing’ Military Technology Secrets

Israeli Court in Jerusalem (File photo: AFP)
Israeli Court in Jerusalem (File photo: AFP)
TT

US Company Sues Israeli Army for ‘Stealing’ Military Technology Secrets

Israeli Court in Jerusalem (File photo: AFP)
Israeli Court in Jerusalem (File photo: AFP)

A US company that produces military technology filed a lawsuit at the Tel Aviv District Court against the Israeli Ministry of Defense and a brigadier general, claiming they stole technology secrets and used them in military training of combat units without permission.

Conflict Kinetics (CK) filed a suit claiming the Chief of Paratroopers and Infantry Corps for Israeli Defense Forces, Brigadier General Dan Goldfus, and under his responsibility as an envoy of his military establishment, obtained classified information about a combat training program.

CK claimed that Goldfus retrieved the information with malicious intent and used them in Israeli training programs, without permission and through a flagrant violation of rights.

The company said the information was provided to an Israeli company that manages war scenarios for the Israeli army, making these violations the responsibility of Goldfus, the military, and the Ministry of Defense.

Conflict Kinetics is one of the major companies that provide services to the US Army and Central Intelligence (CIA) and many of the armies and police in the world.

The Israeli military, the General Intelligence, and the Foreign Intelligence explored the possibility of cooperation with the company in 2015. Three years later, the Israeli naval commandos decided to test its system in military exercises, and negotiations began for this purpose.

According to the lawsuit, several delegations traveled to the US company, including senior officers and major generals.

The company explained its operations and technology but found later that the Ministry of Defense had chosen an Israeli company to run these exercises and that this company had started working while negotiations were in process.

The ministry had deceived and misled Conflict Kinetics, which later discovered that the Israeli company was operating according to the US company’s systems without its permission.

The Israeli court initially rejected this lawsuit for technical reasons but accepted it on Wednesday.

Conflict Kinetics announced that it would file a similar lawsuit against the Ministry of Defense, the Israeli army, and its generals at a US court. It demands that Israel stops using its technology and also seeks financial compensation for its losses.

The Ministry of Defense and the Israeli army denied the accusations, saying the Israeli company was chosen after winning a tender.



Small Plane Crashes into Brazil Tourist City, Killing at Least 10

A general view shows the site of a plane crash in the center of Gramado, Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil December 22, 2024. REUTERS/Edson Vara
A general view shows the site of a plane crash in the center of Gramado, Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil December 22, 2024. REUTERS/Edson Vara
TT

Small Plane Crashes into Brazil Tourist City, Killing at Least 10

A general view shows the site of a plane crash in the center of Gramado, Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil December 22, 2024. REUTERS/Edson Vara
A general view shows the site of a plane crash in the center of Gramado, Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil December 22, 2024. REUTERS/Edson Vara

A small plane carrying 10 people crashed into shops in the center of the tourist city of Gramado in southern Brazil on Sunday, killing everyone on board, state government officials said.
The aircraft's owner and pilot, Luiz Claudio Galeazzi, died along with the other nine passengers, all of whom were members of his family, according to Rio Grande do Sul Governor Eduardo Leite.
In addition, 17 people on the ground were injured, Leite said at a press conference, with 12 still receiving hospital care, including two in critical condition, Reuters reported.
Manufactured in 1990, the twin-engine Piper PA-42-1000 took off shortly after 9 am local time from nearby Canela airport and was heading to Jundiai in Sao Paulo state under unfavorable weather conditions, the governor said.
He noted that the cause of the crash is being investigated by the Aeronautical Accident Investigation and Prevention Center (Cenipa).
The plane reportedly first struck the chimney of a building then the second floor of a house before crashing into a furniture store, authorities said. Debris also reached a nearby inn.
Nestled in a mountainous region, Gramado is the most popular tourist destination in Rio Grande do Sul, which was severely impacted earlier this year by unprecedented floods that claimed dozens of lives, destroyed infrastructure and significantly disrupted the state's economy.