The Director General of the Israeli Ministry of Defense, Eyal Zamir will visit Washington Thursday to discuss the leaks of the Pentagon’s secret documents that suggested the US had spied on some of its closest allies, including on Israel.
Highly classified Pentagon documents leaked online recently, including a report produced by the CIA, suggested that Israel’s main intelligence agency, the Mossad, had been encouraging protests against the new Israeli government’s proposed judicial overhaul.
Political sources in Tel Aviv expressed their hope that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would be able to be invited to the White House to “repair the damage.”
They indicated that President Joe Biden’s administration deviated from the norm in relations between the two countries and did not invite Netanyahu to visit the White House.
The leaked documents angered many in Israel and US allies, waiting for the “big brother” to explain the reason for spying on their country and ensure that it won’t happen again.
The US administration including the White House, the National Security Council, and the Ministries of Defense and State sent messages of reassurance to Israel regarding those leaks.
Walla news website quoted Israeli officials as saying that the US approach within the framework of broader diplomacy aimed to reduce the political damage resulting from the leaked classified documents.
Israel was one of the countries that received reassuring messages, especially since it is one of Washington's central allies in military and intelligence cooperation.
An Israeli source revealed that Pentagon officials spoke with their counterparts in the Israeli Ministry of Defense, asserting their commitment to bilateral security relations.
Washington officials said they launched an investigation into the source of the leak, urging Israel not to exaggerate the matter. It was then that Israeli officials decided to send Zamir to Washington to meet with Pentagon officials and follow up on the matter closely.
Another Israeli source said that State Department officials asked their Israeli counterparts to ensure calm, asserting there is an inquiry into the matter.
The leaked confidential report alleged that Mossad "advocated for Mossad officials and Israeli citizens to protest the new Israeli government’s proposed judicial reforms, including several explicit calls to action that decried the Israeli government, according to signals intelligence."
The Mossad and the Israeli Prime Minister's Office quickly denied it, describing the leak as a lie.
The Biden administration faced awkward talks abroad because it showed that the US was spying on its allies, even on Israel, one of its central allies.
The leak also revealed a major security breach in the US Department of Defense and the intelligence community and could impact the intelligence cooperation with Israel.
