Israeli Government Denies Reports That Mossad Encouraged Staff To Join Anti-Government Protests
Israel’s government has denied reports in the US media that senior officials in the Mossad, Israel’s foreign intelligence service, encouraged members of the spy agency and citizens to participate in the massive anti-government protests meant to halt the current government’s march toward an overhaul of the judiciary. The reports are based on leaked intelligence documents from the Pentagon, which cite an assessment attributed to a Central Intelligence Update from March 1. “The report that was published overnight in the American press is mendacious and without any foundation whatsoever. The Mossad and its senior officials did not – and do not – encourage agency personnel to join the demonstrations against the government, political demonstrations or any political activity,” said a statement released on Sunday by the Prime Minister’s Office. “The Mossad and its serving senior personnel have not engaged in the issue of the demonstrations at all and are dedicated to the value of service to the state that has guided the Mossad since its founding.” Some Mossad employees, however, requested and received permission to participate in the demonstrations as private citizens, according to the New York Times. Several hundred former Mossad employees, including five former chiefs, also signed a statement in March opposing the massive judicial overhaul. The protests entered their 14th week on Saturday, with tens of thousands of Israelis waving Israeli flags converging on Tel Aviv.
This holiday season, give to:
Truth and understanding
The Media Line's intrepid correspondents are in Israel, Gaza, Lebanon, Syria and Pakistan providing first-person reporting.
They all said they cover it.
We see it.
We report with just one agenda: the truth.
