Refiled: NSA helping Israel in persecuting Palestinians

Independent reported on August 4:

A top secret report by the American National Security Agency (NSA) provided by Edward Snowden, dated 13 April 2013, describes the NSA’s “far-reaching technical and analytic relationship with the Israeli SIGINT National Unit (ISNU) sharing information on access, intercept, targeting, language, analysis and reporting”.

It says the co-operation has expanded to include other Israeli and US intelligence organizations including the CIA, American Special Operations Division and Israeli intelligence agency Mossad.

Targets for both America and Israel are listed as “the countries of North Africa, the Middle East, the Persian Gulf, South Asia, and the Islamic republics of the former Soviet Union”.

Among Israel’s particular priorities, the document mentions Iran and Syria’s nuclear programs, Hezbollah’s activities in Lebanon and “Palestinian terrorism”.

It adds: “The Israeli side enjoys the benefits of expanded geographic access to world-class NSA cryptanalytic and SIGINT engineering expertise, and also gains controlled access to advanced US technology and equipment via accommodation buys and foreign military sales.”

Britain’s electronic surveillance agency GCHQ and its Canadian equivalent also co-operate with Israel.

The US also supplies arms to Israel, including radar systems, missiles and V-22 planes for the Air Force listed in a Times of Israel report.

Last year, the US Secretary of Defence, Chuck Hagel, said the weapons would ensure Israel's “military superiority over any enemy state, non-state or coalition”.

Britain’s role in arming the Israeli army was revealed by The Independent last week.

Documents showed that arms export licenses worth £42m have been granted to 130 British defense manufacturers since 2010 to sell Israel military equipment ranging from weapons control and targeting systems to ammunition, drones and armored vehicles.

Two UK companies supplying components for the Hermes drone described by the Israeli air force as the “backbone” of its targeting and reconnaissance missions and widely used in Operation Protective Edge, was on the list, and another supplied tank parts.

More than 2,000 Palestinians, mostly civilians, were massacred in the recent Israeli genocidal offensive.