US accuses Israel of ‘alarming, even terrifying’ levels of spying [1]

I kind wonder about the timing of these revelations, especially in the wake of Snowden's disclosures about groups like Five Eyes [2] and their obscene spying programs such as XKeyscore [3].

Israel has been trying to steal secrets from the US, its principal protector and benefactor, but also occasional rival, ever since the inception of the Jewish state in 1948, and even before. But according to the latest issue of Newsweek, quoting Obama administration officials, these activities have “crossed red lines” rarely encountered in the past.

In the words of one Congressional aide, with access to classified briefings in January on the subject, Israel’s behaviour was “very sobering…?alarming…?even terrifying”. Israel, it would appear, is after everything it can lay its hands on: not just diplomatic and policy documents, but industrial and military technology. The means include Israeli trade missions to the US, joint ventures between Israeli and American companies and, presumably, spying by Israeli intelligence agencies.

Full story: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-accuses-israel-of-alarming-even-terrifying-levels-of-spying-9341264.html [4]