Britain's intelligence agency and its partner, NSA, "targeted" the Israeli prime minister back during Obama's first year in office, according to more of Snowden's leaked documents. That's just a start. Along with Israel, parts of the UN and non-profits like Medecins du Monde were under surveillance and members of the EU, according to The Guardian.
The New York Times was also given these findings.
It is unclear what the eavesdroppers gleaned. The documents include a few fragmentary transcripts of conversations and messages, but otherwise contain only hints that further information was available elsewhere, possibly in a larger database.
Some of the surveillance relates to issues examined by an advisory panel in Washington, which on Wednesday recommended stricter limits on the N.S.A., including restrictions on spying on foreign leaders, particularly allies. In a response to questions by The Times, the N.S.A. said that it was reviewing how it coordinates with allies on spying. A GCHQ spokesman said that its policy was not to comment on intelligence matters, but that the agency “takes its obligations under the law very seriously.”
The reports show that spies monitored the email traffic of several Israeli officials, including one target identified as “Israeli prime minister,” followed by an email address. The prime minister at the time of the interception, in January 2009, was Ehud Olmert. The following month, spies intercepted the email traffic of the Israeli defense minister, Ehud Barak, according to another report. Two Israeli embassies also appear on the target lists.
The response from Israel -- so far -- seems to be very low-key. But the NSA's targets were many and diverse, including "the Institute of Physics at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, an internationally recognized center for research in atomic and nuclear physics," the Times reports.
Most of the NSA's choices seem to be the result of "if we can, we will." The NSA should be demolished. Barring that, it needs to be grounded and then kept -- muzzled and monitored -- on a six-foot leash.
