US envoy deflects spy revelations, touts ‘record’ Israel-US intel ties
In interview in Hebrew, Dan Shapiro says he was surprised by outcry over his recent condemnation of Israeli policies in West Bank
US ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro declined Friday to discuss revelations that his country and Britain have been spying on Israeli military operations for almost two decades, insisting instead that security cooperation between Jerusalem and Washington is at “an all-time high.”
“I will not relate to intelligence issues,” Shapiro told Channel 10 television in an interview conducted in Hebrew. “I can say that the cooperation between our intelligence services, and all the information and knowledge that we share through these channels is really exceptional, and at an all-time high.”
Israel’s military censor approved for publication earlier Friday that American and British intelligence services have spied on the Israeli air force for at least 18 years, after cracking the IDF’s special encryption system for communication between fighter jets, drones and army bases.
The two countries have reportedly used this access to monitor IDF operations in Gaza, watch for a potential Israeli strike on Iran, and keep tabs on the drone technology that Israel exports. Israel said later Friday it was disappointed but not surprised by the revelations.
Shapiro stressed Friday that the two countries have exemplary coordination on key issues.
“I can say that in the face of shared threats from the Middle East, which threaten both Israel and the United States, we are in close cooperation, in terms of military, security and intelligence too.”
He also said the angry response to his recent criticism of Israeli policies in the Palestinian territories had been unexpected. Speaking at a security conference in Tel Aviv on January 18, Shapiro accused Israel of having two standards of law in the West Bank — one for Israelis and one another for Palestinians.
“I was surprised at the storm over my comments at the INSS conference, as the things I said are not new,” Shapiro said Friday. “I strongly condemned terror attacks and the murder of Dafna Meir and others. I called on the Palestinian Authority to stop the terror and incitement.
“We have a problematic reality that worries us, as it is moving in the direction of a binational [state],” he added. “So we look at the current reality and the future, and we do not see negotiations on the horizon in the near future, and are asking the two sides to present suggestions on how to cope with this, in order to ensure that a two-state solution is viable in the future.”
The ambassador also declined to comment on recent US allegations that Russian President Vladimir Putin is corrupt, saying it is not a subject that falls within his remit.
“We, like Israel, try to deal with the Russians on an issues basis because of their military presence in Syria,” he said.
The Times of Israel Community.