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Originally Posted by Darat
From how it has been reported over here in the UK it seems the concerns are not just about the intelligence gathering activities but also if the alleged spy could have influenced USA policy towards Israel.
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That was suggested in the CBS News report as well, but other than noting Feith's role in the build up to war, it was a bit light on the details. So far it seems more of a if he has
this access, he could well have used it for
that purpose too sort of proposition.
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And although the USA may be a very close and good ally of the Israeli state I am certain that the USA does not always act in what the Israelis would consider to be the best interest of the Israel state. Therefore I'll not be surprised or shocked if Israel are found to have undercover operatives trying to influence the USA policy towards Israel.
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You're right, of course. It's my own perspective that makes me think Israel has nothing at all to gain from espionage. Obviously they might disagree. Given the Pollard case, they certainly have in the past.
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On a more general note I would expect any government to try and know as much about other states that could have a potential influence on their state as possible - allied or not.
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Hmmm... That's an interesting idea: espionage as a kind of informational self-defense. I tend to see it more as intentional manipulation, but now that you bring it up, I'm not so sure that fits either. I might have to do a little history of spying research and see what I find.