Israel for decades it has boasted of being a country of spies. That fame was built in the 70s of the 20th century with the relentless and ruthless task of the Mossad, the outside intelligence agency known for hunting Nazis but also for murdering Palestinian civilians. In the 21st century, fame is still intact, but it does not emanate so much from the espionage traditional and cyber. The Jewish state has become a world power in the surveillance in the shadows thanks to the development of a private sector that has spawned weapons such as pegasus -with which Catalan politicians and activists have been spied on-, a power that made him win over quite a few enemies.
How has such a small country managed to be so influential in digital warfare? The dominance of the industry cyber espionage Israel cannot be understood without the national commitment to technological innovation. Cities like Tel Aviv have fostered the creation of an ecosystem of emerging companies in the image and likeness of Silicon Valley in recent years. However, compulsory military service has meant that entrepreneurs in Israel are very knowledgeable in cyber defense.
That, coupled with the Israeli mentality of living in a perpetual war for survival, led to the creation of unique espionage tools like Pegasus. This program is capable of breaking through the defenses of any mobile – be it Android or iPhone – and parasitize its system to steal everything that circulates through the device, even activating its microphones and cameras. Possession of such stolen confidential information becomes a very dangerous weapon, which has made Pegasus the crown jewel of the Israeli defense industry.
espionage diplomacy
For decades, countries have used the sale of weapons as an instrument of global diplomatic influence. Israel has done it since 1950 and continues to do so now with its cutting-edge cyber espionage industry. The Ministry of Defense must approve with its licenses the export of any spyware, a card that it has played as part of its strategy of National security to promote their interests.
“The sale of Pegasus played an invisible but fundamental role in securing the support of Arab nations in Israel’s campaign against Iran & rdquor ;, notes a research published by ‘The New York Times’ in January. Other countries such as Mexico or Panama changed their position to favor Israel in key votes in the United Nations after accessing the famous ‘spyware’. Thus, it is understandable that the national authorities reacted furiously when USA put to NSO Groupits manufacturer, on their blacklist without notifying them.
That is why the Israeli security apparatus has forged a symbiotic relationship with that iceberg of computer surveillance of which we have only seen the tip. Former spies move into the private sector, while many “mercenary mercenary” companies piracy” they trace their roots to Unit 8200, the military intelligence branch of the Israel Defense Forces. This is the case of NSO Group, whose initials respond to its trio of founders: Niv Carmi, Shalev Hulio and Omrie Lavie. The former, responsible for the technical development of Pegasus, is a former Mossad agent, while the latter is a former army commander. This is also the case of renowned firms such as Candiru either Rayzone Groupboth also used to spy on pro-independence politicians and members of Catalan civil society.
Ironically, the governments of the Generalitat in the hands of center-right Catalanism –since the time of Jordi Pujol a Arthur More either Carles Puigdemont– They have praised the national construction of Zionism and have tried to weave a network of diplomatic alliances with the Jewish State that has approved the sale of the weapons with which they have been spied on.
The business of violating human rights
It is estimated that cyberespionage programs move about 12,000 million dollars a year. Facing the gallery, these companies defend that their technology serves to “combat the crime and the terrorism&rdquor ;, which is partially true. In 2014, Mexico turned to Pegasus to arrest Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, drug trafficker leader of the Sinaloa Cartel and the most wanted man in the world.
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However, it has also been exposed that they serve darker purposes than what their PR teams sell. Thus, the aforementioned companies have sold their spyware to dictatorships and democracies with authoritarian tics that have used these tools to monitor, persecute, and repress opposition politicians, critical journalists, dissidents, and activists. “The logic is that Israel may be willing to turn a blind eye to transactions that are made with friendly regimes in the sense that they are friendly to Israel but not necessarily friendly to human rights,” Yuval Shany, director of law, told CNN. International at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The reporter’s murder jamal khashoggiorchestrated by the Saudi monarchy, is the most macabre example of this, but it covers a long list with hundreds of victims around the world.
That succession of scandals has not prevented Israel from continuing to defend its companies. However, that could change. In February it was uncovered that the police had used Pegasus to illegally spy on Israeli citizens and a key witness in the corruption trial of the former minister. Benjamin Netanyahu, which led the current government to open an investigation. Whether it will do any good remains to be seen.