Israel’s PM vows to take action

Pegasus is a malware product developed by the Israeli company NSO that may turn on a phone’s camera or microphone and collect data from it.

On Monday, Israel ordered the formation of a national inquiry after a tabloid alleged that police had used strong spyware against former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s confidants and other public people.

According to the news source, Israeli police is used Pegasus spyware to hack the phones of scores of famous Israelis, including Netanyahu’s son, activists, and senior government officials.

The news comes as the business journal Calcalist recently reported that police had deployed Pegasus against leaders of an anti-Netanyahu protest movement without judicial approval.

Following “recent publications,” Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai said he has urged Public Security Minister Omer Barlev to establish “an external and independent commission of investigation, led by a judge,” to investigate the claims.

The commission will deal with any irregularities or failures in line with the law,” Shabtai said in a statement on Monday, adding that the occurrences listed by Calcalist occurred before his appointment in 2021.

Pegasus is a malware product developed by the Israeli company NSO that may turn on a phone’s camera or microphone and collect data from it.

Following allegations that it was used by governments around the world to spy on activists, politicians, journalists, and even heads of state, it has been at the centre of a months-long international crisis.

NSO claims that all of its sales are authorised by the government, and that it does not run Pegasus.

Israel had been chastised for allowing the invasive equipment to be exported to countries with a bad human rights record, but the Calcalist disclosures have sparked a local scandal and various official inquiries.

The attorney general, state comptroller, and the justice ministry’s privacy watchdog all announced investigations into the possible use of Pegasus on Israelis before to Monday’s report.

Calcalist reported in its most recent report that scores of people were targeted despite the fact that they were not accused of any criminal activity and that police did not have the appropriate court authorisation.

Senior officials from the ministries of finance, justice, and communication, as well as mayors and Ethiopian Israelis who spearheaded protests against alleged police abuses, are among them.

Calcalist also alleged that key witness Ilan Yeshua, former chief executive of the Walla news site, was also a target in Netanyahu’s ongoing corruption trial.

Netanyahu is accused of attempting to trade regulatory favours with media moguls in exchange for favourable publicity, particularly on Walla, in exchange for favourable coverage. He disputes the allegations.

On Monday, his lawyers urged that the trial be halted until the latest findings were investigated.

The court hearing Netanyahu’s case has cancelled the next session, which was set for Tuesday, and said it will wait for replies from the prosecution on the hacking claims before determining whether to restart proceedings on Wednesday.

“This is a dark day for Israel,” Netanyahu declared. “Without addressing my issue, which has far-reaching ramifications, I believe this case affects all citizens of the country — not just the right or the left, but all citizens without exception.” “Something unbelievable has occurred here.”

Demands for an independent investigation

Since Calcalist reported last month that its investigators had used Pegasus against Israeli individuals – sometimes without warrants – police have been conducting internal investigations and addressing questions before parliamentary oversight panels.

The Pegasus spyware was the subject of a public uproar, causing Naftali Bennett’s government to conduct export evaluations.

Bennett pledged government action on Monday.

“We’re not going to let this go without a response.” “Something very serious is claimed to have occurred here,” Bennett said in a statement that also defended Pegasus, which can turn a phone into a pocket eavesdropping device, as a “essential instrument in the battle against terrorism.”

Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked, a member of his right-wing party, has called for the establishment of an independent commission of investigation.

Pnina Tamano-Shata, the center-right Immigration Minister, and Tamar Zandberg, the liberal Environment Minister, both tweeted: “Commission of inquiry, no excuses or technicalities.”

Throughout the multifaceted Pegasus controversy, NSO has always denied wrongdoing, emphasising that all of its sales are government-approved.

It has also stated that after the system is sold to clients, it does not operate it and has no access to the data acquired.