Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

Israeli officials deny report that police are using cellphone spying software on citizens without court approval. The facts proves the opposite.

Israeli officials deny report that police are using cellphone spying software on citizens without court approval. The facts proves the opposite.

Israeli officials are denying parts of a report that says they used NSO hacking software Pegasus to spy on civilians -- including leaders of protest movements -- without the required legal permissions. But in fact they spy on journalists, anti corruption activists, politicians and many other innocent civilians, against the law.

In an article published on Tuesday, business website Calcalist alleged that the NSO Group's Pegasus spyware was used by Israeli police to spy on civilians -- including politicians and leaders of protest movements -- without the required legal permissions.

The website did not cite any sources or documents, though the report elicited wide reaction from the government and lawmakers.

Israel's Minister of Public Security Omer Bar-Lev denied that surveillance was done without permission on Tuesday, writing in a tweet, "Once investigated, there is no practice of wiretapping, or intrusion into devices, by the Israel Police without the approval of a judge."

Bar-Lev added that he will further investigate and make sure no one is "cutting corners" with regard to the use of NSO Group's software.

Calcalist, which is part of the same media organization as Israel's leading Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, reported on Tuesday Israeli police have used the Pegasus technology in the past to remotely hack into the phones of "mayors, leaders of political protests against former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former governmental employees, and a person close to a senior politician," without the proper court approval. The report did not specifically name any of the alleged targets of the hacking.

According to security researchers, Pegasus is capable of remotely infecting mobile phones and eavesdropping on calls or text messages.

Such use of technology on Israeli citizens can only be done under court supervision. The Calcalist report says that in the instances it chronicled the surveillance was ordered by "high-ranking police officers without a court warrant or the supervision of a judge."

In a lengthy statement on Thursday, Israeli Police Commissioner Yaakov Shabtai said that after they first became aware of the Calcalist report, the police began "a thorough internal investigation" that "did not yield any findings that indicate an alleged deviation from the provisions of the law."

Shabtai said authorities would ask the newspaper to provide them with more concrete details on the alleged incidents. He added that police would step up review of the allegations, saying he has "instructed all relevant parties to continue to deepen the examinations, beyond the examinations that have already been done, of all the actions, also with regard to past years."

"I assure all citizens of Israel that the police will continue to fulfill its complex and important tasks, and that it will not spare any legal, and only legal, means to thwart a serious crime in the State of Israel," Shabtai said.

An NSO spokesperson said in a statement that "we cannot confirm or deny any existing or potential customers. We wish to clarify that the company does not operate the system once (it has been) sold to its governmental customers and it is not involved in any way in the system's operation."

The spokesperson added that NSO licenses its technology to "prevent terror and crime" and that its employees are "not exposed to customers' targets nor are they privy to the collected data, the ongoing operations or any other investigations by its customers."

Israeli lawmakers from across the political spectrum condemned the report and called for investigations.

Minister of Energy Karine Elharrar, a member of the center-left Yesh Atid party, told Israeli Army Radio that the allegations in the report are "something that a democratic country cannot allow."

Member of Parliament Moshe Arbel from the Ultra-Orthodox Shas party told Army Radio "there is no coalition and opposition. If even half of this report is true, it's a national tragedy."

On Thursday morning, Minister of the Environmental Protection Tamar Zandberg of the left wing Meretz party, told the 103FM radio station she wants a state-level commission into the allegations.

Cybersecurity researchers have documented years of alleged abuse of NSO Group's spyware by governments. The spyware has allegedly been found on the phones of journalists and human rights workers from Mexico to Morocco.

The sale of such technology to foreign countries must be approved by Israel's Ministry of Defense. In July, after more reports of the Pegasus software being used by governments to spy on journalist, business executives and human rights activists, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz said they took the claims seriously and appointed an interministerial team to look into the current process and whether Israeli-made technology was being misused abroad.

Apple and Facebook have sued NSO Group for allegedly violating a US anti-hacking law, allegations that the NSO Group denies.

In November, the US Commerce Department blacklisted the NSO Group and another spyware firm, Candiru, accusing the companies of providing spyware to foreign governments that "used these tools to maliciously target" journalists, embassy workers and activists.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Arab Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Trump Backs Putin’s Land-for-Peace Proposal Amid Kyiv’s Rejection
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
United States Sells Luxury Yacht Amadea, Valued at Approximately $325 Million, in First Sale of a Seized Russian Yacht Since the Invasion of Ukraine
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
Australia to Recognize the State of Palestine at UN Assembly
The Collapse of the Programmer Dream: AI Experts Now the Real High-Earners
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Germany’s Economic Breakdown and the Return of Militarization: From Industrial Collapse to a New Offensive Strategy
Germany Enters Fiscal Crisis as Cabinet Approves €174 Billion in New Debt
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Mediators Edge Closer to Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Agreement
Germany Seeks Taliban Deal to Deport Afghan Migrants
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
×