Is Israel preparing to carry out intelligence operations on US soil?

SEVERAL WEEKS AGO, ISRAEL’S Minister of Diaspora Affairs, Amichai Chikli, reportedly met with the chief executive officer (CEO) of Israeli private intelligence company Black Cube. According to Israeli newspaper The Marker, the purpose of the alleged meeting was to propose an intelligence operation to be carried out on American soil by Black Cube, on behalf of the Israeli government. The intelligence operation would allegedly target a United States-based organization that stands at the forefront of demonstrations against Israel on university campuses in the United States —demonstrations that the state of Israel views as anti-Semitic.

According to The Marker report, the alleged meeting between Minister Chikli and the CEO of Black Cube, Dan Zorla, took place in a private residence in Herzliya near Tel Aviv. Minister Chikli was personally involved in the discussions with Black Cube, with the understanding that intelligence operations carried out by the firm on American soil would not be officially attributed to the State of Israel. However, it is unclear whether such intelligence operations were indeed authorized to proceed.

The organization against which Chikli reportedly asked Black Cube to target is “Students for Justice in Palestine”. The group has staged numerous demonstrations on university campuses across the United States since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war last October.

The alleged use of a private intelligence company against an American-based organization, whose leaders are primarily American citizens, may be perceived as a violation of American sovereignty. Such an activity could further-damage the relationship between Israel and the American government and stigmatize Israel’s image among the American public.

Following the publication of The Marker report, the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs claimed the proposal for the intelligence operation had been initiated by Black Cube and that Ministry officials ultimately rejected it. Still, at least three different sources appear to confirm the exact opposite —namely, that the spying initiative was prompted by the Ministry. Black Cube reportedly rejected it based on concerns that such a high-risk operation could damage the company’s standing with the United States government and harm its ability to do business on American soil in the future.

An official statement issued by the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs said: “Since the beginning of the war, the ministry has held meetings with dozens of organizations seeking to assist the efforts of the State of Israel in various fields. At the company’s [Black Cube’s] request, a meeting was held with the ministry’s professional echelon, and at the end of it, it was decided not to proceed with any engagement”.

Black Cube stated: “[Our] company plans and carries out complex intelligence operations for the benefit of legal proceedings, all in accordance with the law of every country in which it operates. Black Cube does not operate and has never planned to operate against students or political protest groups in the USA”.

Further information indicates that the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs may be considering executing such an operation after all. Senior officials reportedly attended the alleged secret meeting between the two entities at a private residence: Cabinet Minister Chikli was reportedly there, as was the Ministry’s CEO and other officials. From the Black Cube side, the meeting was allegedly attended the firm’s CEO Zorla and the head of its Advisory Committee, former Israel Defense Forces Major General Giora Eiland.

There is little doubt that such a secret meeting took place. It is worth noting that, following the 1987 conviction of United States citizen Jonathan Pollard for spying on the United States for Israel, the Israeli government assured the Washington that such an incident would not reoccur and pledged not to spy against the United States in the future. Now, however, an Israeli Cabinet Minister may have at least considered spying on American soil through an Israeli private contractor.

► Author: Avner Barnea | Date: 26 August 2024 | Permalink

Dr. Avner Barnea is research fellow at the National Security Studies Center of the University of Haifa in Israel. He served as a senior officer in the Israel Security Agency (ISA). He is the author of We Never Expected That: A Comparative Study of Failures in National and Business Intelligence (Lexington Books, 2021).