Israel to U.S.: Stop Spying On Us
And demand release of Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard
Courtney Subramanian - Time - December 22, 2013 Israeli officials broke their silence over the U.S. surveillance scandal Sunday, angrily demanding an end to spying on Israel.
The outcry marks the first time Israeli officials have proclaimed their outrage since former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden revealed the spying program, the Associated Press reports. Last week more documents uncovered a partnership between the NSA and British intelligence agency GCHQ from 2008 to 2011 to monitor office email addresses from the then-Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Defense Minister Ehud Barak.
The spying scandal reignited another longstanding spat between the two strategically allied countries. Israeli officials called for the release of Jonathan Pollard, an ex-American intelligence analyst who has been jailed in the U.S. for almost 30 years for his role as an Israeli spy. Israel vowed to not spy on the U.S. following Pollards conviction, and has since made several unsuccessful calls for his release.