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Glenn Greenwald: U.S. Intel Agencies Provide “Key Ingredient” in Enabling Israeli Aggression in Gaza

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Earlier this month, The Intercept published documents provided by Edward Snowden that revealed the deep ties between Israeli and U.S. intelligence agencies. In a recent article, journalist Glenn Greenwald cites one 2013 document that described a “far-reaching technical and analytic relationship” between the National Security Agency and its Israeli counterpart against “mutually agreed upon geographic targets.” The partnership includes a “dedicated communications line” supporting “the exchange of raw material, as well as daily analytic and technical correspondence.”

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This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.

AMY GOODMAN: Well, let me put this to you, one of the other pieces that you have just recently done. Earlier this month, The Intercept published documents provided by Edward Snowden that revealed the deep ties between Israeli and U.S. intelligence agencies. Glenn Greenwald cited one 2013 document that described a “far-reaching technical and analytic relationship” between the National Security Agency and its Israeli counterpart against “mutually agreed upon geographic targets.” The partnership includes a, quote, “dedicated communications line” supporting “the exchange of raw material, as well as daily analytic and technical correspondence.” Glenn Greenwald, can you elaborate on this? What did the Snowden documents show?

GLENN GREENWALD: The Snowden documents demonstrate an extremely close relationship between the NSA and U.S. intelligence agencies, in general, and the Israelis. It demonstrates that there are large amounts of cash, unaccounted-for cash, being transferred from the NSA to Israeli operatives, and that the specific information that the Israelis have and that they use to target people in Lebanon or in Gaza or the means that they have to assert occupation and control over the West Bank come in large part directly from the U.S. government and from the intelligence gathered by the NSA. It also shows that the crucial information that the U.S. government gathers about the Palestinians and about people in Gaza come from the Jordan monarchy, the Jordanian monarchy, as well as the Palestinian Authority, which of course receives lots of funds from the U.S. government and then, in turn, spies on people in Gaza for the benefit of the U.S. and Israel.

And so, I just—you know, the reason why I thought it was important to do that reporting in the midst of the attack on Gaza was because if you listen to American political discourse every time Israel massacres the Palestinians, the tone tends to be this sort of indifference and detachment, like, “Oh, this is this really unfortunate, intractable conflict that sadly cannot be resolved, because the two sides are just so stubborn and obstreperous,” and the reality is that the U.S. is anything but a neutral party. We are the key ingredient in enabling Israeli aggression against their neighbors. And I just think, again, that that debate ought to be had honestly, rather than letting Americans pretend that they can throw up their hands and wash their hands of any responsibility.

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