Bloggers claim WikiLeaks struck deal with Israel over diplomatic cables leaks
The lack of information damaging to Israel in the cables released by WikiLeaks has provided fodder for conspiracy theorists.
By Danna Harman Tags: WikiLeaksPARIS - It was only a matter of time before conspiracy theorists came out of the woodwork to suggest that Israel is behind the publication of the WikiLeaks trove - and is manipulating the information coming out to help Israeli interests.
"Where is the real dirt on Israel?" these conspiracy theorists - messaging back and forth in the blogosphere - are asking one another.
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Wikileaks founder Julian Assange gestures as he speaks about the United States and the human rights during a press conference at the Geneva press club in Geneva, Switzerland. Nov. 4, 2010 |
| Photo by: AP |
"The answer appears to be a secret deal struck between WikiLeaks' ... Assange ... with Israeli officials, which ensured that all such documents were 'removed' before the rest were made public," wrote Gordon Duff, an editor of the anti-war website Veterans Today, who frequently opines about what he believes is Israeli's secret influence over world events.
Speaking to Haaretz, Duff added that "it sticks out like a sore thumb that WikiLeaks is obviously concocted by an intelligence agency. It's a ham-handed action by Israel to do its public relations."
Meanwhile, Al Haqiqa, an Arabic language webzine, citing disgruntled WikiLeaks volunteers, adds more details to the conspiracy, suggesting that this "secret agreement" between Assange and "the Mossad," which allegedly took place in Geneva, involved Assange's promise not to publish any document that "may harm Israeli security or diplomatic interests."
"The Israel government, it seems, had somehow found out or expected that the documents to be leaked contained a large number of documents about the Israeli attacks on Lebanon and Gaza in 2006 and 2008-9 respectively," adds an anonymous blogger on IndyMedia. "These documents, which are said to have originated mainly from the American embassies in Tel Aviv and Beirut, were removed and possibly destroyed by Assange, who is the only person who knows the password that can open these documents, the sources added."
Remy Ourdon, who is in charge of the WikiLeaks project for Le Monde - one of the five international newspapers that were given advance copies of the cables by Assange - counters that it is incorrect to claim there are no cables of interest about Israel.
"Not everything has come out yet," he tells Haaretz. "There are tens of thousands of cables and many surprises still coming. There is almost no country which does not have some cables emanating from it."
Moreover, stresses Ourdon, contrary to the conspiracy theorists' charges, Assange is not in control of which cables WikiLeaks publishes - that is determined solely by what the person who obtained the cables was able to access and pass along.
Other observers offer an alternative explanation for the lack - so far - of many insightful cables out of Israel. For example, Ed Abington, a former U.S. consul general in Jerusalem (1993-1997 ) suggests, on facebook, that it might have something to do with the level of information being offered out of the country.
"The U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv has been so out of the loop for the last six years that their reporting is about what you read in the Israeli press (probably where they get most of their information ). .
"There's a channel U.S. embassies use for very sensitive information and I don't think WikiLeaks has those cables. As for Tel Aviv, the last two ambassadors have not been risk-takers and have had a very low profile. I doubt they have been willing to rock the boat, and may not have had much, if any, inside information."
What would be more interesting, Abington persists, is the reporting from the U.S. Consulate in Jerusalem. "Where is that reporting?" he asks.
"Stay tuned," says Ourdon.
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Hard for these folks to wrap their brains around the distinct possibility that Isreal has been correct all along. Palestinians, Arabs, Europeans and UN are all playing games and lying, with entirely different stories in public versus private, while Isreal consistently speaks the truth.
and good for Haaretz for doing actual journalism. Gordon Duff took his story from indymedia, I believe, and their source was an Arabic language news site in Syria I think called Syria Truth. The former Wikileaks person was undoubtedly "Daniel Schmidt" who is busy right now with some of his own revelations/cover-ups. When the first 200 or so cables had been leaked there were only a few concerning Israel. They didn't contain much at all that hadn't been in the news already, except maybe Lieberman (or was it Netanyahu?) in Moscow saying Israel hadn't called the Ukrainian famine in the 1930s a genocide. None of the Wikileaks cables seem to me to contain anything of importance so far, just internal low level propaganda chatter by US diplomats. The media feeding frenzy is rather amazing, though. It all reminds me of that phrase, "hidden in plain sight."
He may have held back some of the Russian information also for now but the file is in many hands, while breaking the 256 encryption will take awhile.
First was that Israel created 911 then the shark attacks in Egypt, cameras in Lebanon and now this. Arabs look in the mirror !!! and stop the blaming game.
Lets face it, anti semites always seem to have some conspiracy going about Israel and if they don't they simply make one up - like this garbage. ... just look north and you have lebanon and nasrallah so scared of the harari tribunial that they concocted this silly story about israel spying with cameras from forests and hidden rocks even though Israel has ome of the most sophisticated satillites .. now we have anti semites who are disappointed that Israel looks good in wikileaks cables saying that can't be true so Israel must be guilty of something .. and since they have no proof, we get a new conspiracy theory. Those of us who are committed Zionist should sit back and enjoy watching these morons run around trying to build their international conspiracy theory but being ignored except by each other ... just think of all the stress, heartache and paranoria that these people have on a daily basis over Israel and every day they grow more and more frustrated at how well Israel is doing. Every time a Jew wins a Nobel, stops some terrorist or beats Iran in chess, they go bonkers. So i say Ignore the haters and leave the terrrorists to Mossad .. then sit back and enjoy the cables that prove that behind the scenes the world, including the arabs, accept Israel and reject Iran. Smucks like Gordon Duff are a testament to the greatness of the Jewish people. Anyway, the haters will never go away and neither will their conspiracy theories but as we all know from Torah, those that seek to destroy the Jewish people are the ones who be destroyed and we have 3500 years of history to prove it.
All the media in the world, internet, newspaper or TV struck a deal with Israel. Thats why the media concerning Israel is sooooo goood. Guess what?
Israel IS behind Wikileaks. The logic is clear. Israel is not mentioned so that those people who thought they were would ask, Why didn't Israel add a few of it's own secrets so that no one would suspect them as being the culprits, and would then presume that Israel was innocent. EASY PEASY. Please join me at "Let's get these SOB Jews for everything that's dire in the World"
Maybe the fact that there is nothing bad on Israel proves that all of you who always blame Israel are wrong.....Is it possible that the evil you think Israel is is actually missplaced....time to look for a new scapegoat........
We all know that Israel is the US' best friend. I doubt any foreign minister would dare say anything that would bring harm upon Israel. If Israel really were behind wikileaks, we would have probably seen way more reports showing the terrorist ties that the IHH had during the flotilla event.
knew the kind of pressure he would find himself in once the cables were published. What better way to guaranetee his freedom, than to make sure that some especially embarassing material would be withheld for as long as he was alive and well?
It's called the press. Everything leaks. Mossad assasination, false passports, bombing Syria, bombing civilians with phosphorous...What more could there be?
towards Israel. That is all.
If "Israel" was behind the Wikileaks, don't you think that "Israel" would allow at least one document to be published that didn't reflect wonderfully on the country -- if for no other reason than NOT to draw this kind of attention to it. Please! Leave Israel alone already. (Instead, go spend your hateful time persuading the Palestinians to accept Israel's right to exist -- and that conflict will end. Case closed.)
Remember what happened with Pollard? Israel isn't about to repeat that episode again--and this would be a lot more pie on the face than Pollard
The Israeli's are quite expert at the war games and communications. Does anyone think they would be so foolish as to print anything that wasn't fully secured 'for your eyes only"? Leave it to the anti semites to blame Israel for being clean!
These leaked cables between US diplomatic installations. It has nothing to do with what Israeli's wrote or not.
wiki can't indeed leak any unknown information about Israel simply because everything is already known, thanks to freedom of speech & press which is far more developed in Israel than in most other country.
Well, according to Reporters Sans Frontieres, latest report (2010), Israel ranks 86th (within the green line). Regarding Yehudah and Shomron, Israel ranks 132nd. Check for yourself. No need to brag.
Israel needs not hiding anything.Haarets most certainly makes sure the whole history of Israel good or bad is published here.Thanks too the other israeli news outlets be it right or left all is an open book for all to read.Thank goodness foe the Israeli PRESS.
But when have conspiracy theorist been concerned about real world?
Paranoid conspiracy theorists don't know Israeli society: Israelis simplistically believe they are SO right in what the IDF and government does that they say everything out loud without thinking and there are plenty of people here who like to expose what isn’t being talked about already. Wikileaks has nothing on Israeli society- we have been living this way forever.
I have read this guys work, this guy is one of the most corrupt evil people I have ever read, he is a war profiteer and has ties to the Arab world People like him are not deserving of life, he is your old school, blame the Jews for everything while profiting on their misery People like him do not deserve to live, people like him should face punishment one day
Remy Ourdon, take on the Wikileaks form Jerusalem is where the "big story" will next break. Indeed "stay tuned," for the big surprise. As the complicity of SILENCE between Jerusalem and Washington, the former the hand maiden of the latter will be confirmed in "Israegate." yy
See my series: Google: "Open Interrogatories and Requests for Documentation to Daniel Domscheit-Berg of OpenLeaks Concerning Accusations of Zionist-Bribery Against Julian Assange and WikiLeaks". I hope Haaretz can get some real answers. Let me know, please.
If Wilileaks were to disclose the discussions in the First Nicaea Council 325 it would sound like this: Emperor Constantin - "I want to establish Christianity all over the empire. But Roman Pontius Pilatus killed Jesus, what to do?" Answer - "We will write you a story, that everyone who reads it will get the impression Jews did it"
I gotta take one on Israeli policies. Be right back
If it is a conspiracy then must include also GREECE. NOT even one cable from Athens!.. May be because Papandreou is the son of a Jew-Bulgarian mother and the grandson of a Jew-Polnish grandmother or anything else!
israel has communication equipment that even the USA purchases from them, they are leaders in the technology and from reports i've read and the understanding i have of israeli military foresight.... i'm sure they took precautions a long time ago, even before wikileaks they had to protect their vital data from the surrounding countries and keep a close eye on them at the same time... sometimes the most simple answer is the correct one... they were the most prepared against espionage
it's "United States diplomatic cables leak" the information was accessed and collected in the U.S and not in Israel. go back to sleep
Sooner or later ISrael's dirty stuff will leak.
The only information I want to see is documented evidence of alien lifeforms and the truth about Area 51.
The question is why do the americans make so much noise over nothing really new, as if they would fear some really damaging things to come out, that really might change something.
Assange has about as much love for Israel as for America. The reason that Israel is fully vindicated by the disclosures in Wikileaks is because they are true. No wonder the rabid "death to the Jews" crowd is frothing at the mouth. Their lies and bigorty are being exposed. What sick morons.
the conspiracy theorists cannot fathom that their vile imaginings about israel are not confirmed by wikileaks. these israel haters cannot imagine that all their hate is unfounded.
This reminds me of the old joke about rationing of meat in the old Soviet Union. Everyone lines up outside the butcher shop and are waiting in the freezing cold for hours for the shop to open. An apparatchnik appears and announces that there is no meat for the Jews and so all the disappointed Jews leave the line. Five hours later the apparatchnik announces he's sorry but the meat wasn't delivered. The line breaks up and everyone mutters, "Damn the Jews. They have all the luck."
i was in line with my mother back in russia when i was 3-5 years old for rations... very nice experience, very humbling
anything less would be very very suspecious!! I hope mr. Assange who I respect for his wonderfull work won't disappoint me with highly regretable understanding with Israeli special services.
...is the extent of US spying on Israel. Extensive: Friday, 31 October 2008, 15:25 S E C R E T STATE 116392 REPORTING AND COLLECTION NEEDS: G. Information Infrastructure and Telecommunications Systems (INFR-3). --Current specifications, vulnerabilities, capabilities, and planned upgrades to national telecommunications infrastructure, networks, and technologies used by government and military authorities, intelligence and security services, and the public sector. --Details about command, control, and communications systems and facilities. --National leadership use of and dependencies on a dedicated telecommunications infrastructure. --Details about national and regional telecommunications policies, programs, regulations, and training. --Information about current and planned upgrades to public sector communications systems and technologies used by government, military personnel, and the civil sector, including cellular phone networks, mobile satellite phones, very small aperture terminals (VSAT), trunked and mobile radios, pagers, prepaid calling cards, firewalls, encryption, international connectivity, use of electronic data interchange, and cable and fiber networks. --Information about wireless infrastructure, cellular communications capabilities and makes and models of cellular phones and their operating systems, to include second generation and third generation systems. --Details about the use of satellites for telecommunication purposes, including planned system upgrades. --Details about internet and intranet use and infrastructure, including government oversight. --Details about foreign and domestic telecommunications service providers and vendors. --Plans and efforts to acquire US export-controlled telecommunications equipment and technology. --Plans and efforts to export or transfer state-of-the art telecommunications equipment and technology. --Details about information repositories associated with radio frequency identification (RFID)-enabled systems used for passports, government badges, and transportation systems. --Official and personal phone numbers, fax numbers, and e-mail addresses of principal civilian and military leaders. RICE
Out of the thousands of pages released from wiki leaks we did not see any thing dirty about Israel"Where is the real dirt on Israel?" these conspiracy theorists .
If there's anything worse going on in Israel than what is and has been known for a long time, I don't want to know.
The IDF are doing a good job without WikiLeaks leaking anything Israel - "Israeli military confronts new foe: the Internet Controlling what soldiers post online is proving to be difficult " http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38746594/ns/technology_and_science-tech_and_gadgets/ LOL!
what more can WikiLeaks bring forward. And if there is anything so dire and damning against Israel why is it taking so long to come out. Assange does not look like he has any love for Israel so what's up with that ? The Mossad threatening him ???? Get in line Mossad....seems like every other spy agency is also on his tail.
What you are saying is untrue and maybe you are not reading enough. Most of the time, Haaretz is genuine in approaching its readers to get their responds of whether their opinion is pro Israeli or not. Haaretz is the number one website in my opinion to follow what goes on in the Middle East and deep in Israel politics.
... so this is only possible if there was some kind of data manipulation at work? Is Natallie Durson now working for Haaretz?
That why they always are dispatching officials to Israel, they only find at the last minute and then rush over to pull Israel up.
The U.S. will be almost certain to be aware of Israel's involvement because it'll be able to ascertain which have held back from the batches being released.
Contrary to what all Israeli bashers say that Israel's motive is fear, all surronding it are full of it. Hence, they conclude that it is impossible that Israel, who we all alegedly know are so full of secret and evil, shall not be on this list. It is not unusual that the once accusing others of a motive (in this case accusing Israel of operating out of fear) are the once who actualy possess that trait.
I don't think I am going to be able to take conspiracy 'Israeli intelligence' theories seriously for a while...I think they have pretty much exhausted credibility...
If only Jews had the power accredited to it by the conspiracy people then we won't be getting our butts kicked by clowns like nasrallah abbas chavez and we would own everything from the sinai including the arabian penninsula
There are two separate schools of thought alleging Israeli behind-the-scenes influence in Wikileaks release. The "low credibility" one is cited in this article. The higher credibility one comes from an analysis by people including Zbignew Brzenski.
... when this is what they are up against!? This is pure bulls***! I read comments on this website all the time, going on about how Israel is paranoid. How can they when there are people out there who pull this kind of crap? People always blame Israel for how they're treated, and to an extent, I can agree, but it cases like this, even when they have nothing to do with something, it's still their fault. This is just another excuse to disparage Israel, it's just pure anti-Israel propaganda.
Agree with you.. Israel is right and the rest of the world is wrong anf full of hatred...
We are talking of a bunch of conspiracy paraniacs, not the rest of the world (however, I understand that paranoiacs believe themselves "the world").
What about "cable 09TELAVIV1324, GOI DISCUSSES LEBANON AND SYRIA WITH HOF"? "On June 10, Fred Hof, Special Advisor for Regional Affairs in the office of Special Envoy Mitchell, held a series of meetings with GOI officials from the MFA and MOD to discuss the situation in Lebanon and Syria and the possibilities for progress towards opening negotiations with each. The Israeli officials expressed cautious optimism over the election results in Lebanon, but did not believe they would lead to major changes in the power balance in Lebanon, or serious reduction of Hizballah influence. However, both Amos Gilad, Pol-Mil Director in the MOD and Nimrod Barkan, Director of the MFA Political Research Division (INR equivalent), told Hof that the Lebanese election results took Syria by surprise, and were a blow for Syrian President Asad. The officials were split over the prospects for Israeli peace with Syria. Alon Ushpiz, Chief of Staff for the MFA Director General, believes Syria is only interested in a process that gives it international legitimacy. However, in a separate meeting, Gilad called Syrian/Iran ties a “marriage of convenience” which could possibly be broken with a peace agreement with Israel and incentives from the United States."
I guess I have been reading too many of the leaks. Anyone who wants their 'news' undigested may read the Tel Aviv Embassy cables at: http://213.251.145.96/origin/18_0.html I think the reality will sink any conspiracy theories.
I know that if I was to do something like that, I'd certainly not withold them all, and probably even let a few inconsequential 'eye-openers' slip through.
You are trying to give artificial respiration to a conspiracy theory dead at birth because it had no substance.
Some interesting reading there!
and feeding it to assange under disquise.
Such twaddle. The source for the wikileaks cables is KNOWN BEYOND ANY DOUBT. It was Specialist, now Private, Bradley Manning of the US Army. He is now under courts martial for leaking the data, all of which was recovered on his personal computer. Mossad had NOTHING to do with Wikileaks. Anyone who says so needs a brain scan or education.
Israel cops it. if there had been damaging cables, the cabal of Israel haters would have said "see, See, the evil Israel" Because there is nothing to read, we have to be the guilty party behind all of this. Get over it, Sam. There's only 12 million of us . We are not about to take over the world. . . . . . . . No matter how appealing the idea might be.
I read one already about Israel land of Organized crimes.. search and read it is very true
cable 09TELAVIV1098, ISRAEL, A PROMISED LAND FOR ORGANISED CRIME? available at http://213.251.145.96/cable/2009/05/09TELAVIV1098.html For a lot of lulz try 09JEDDAH443, UNDERGROUND PARTY SCENE IN JEDDAH: SAUDI YOUTH at: http://213.251.145.96/cable/2009/11/09JEDDAH443.html
An OMGEEVILJEWCONSPIRACYYY that Israeli Leaders say the same in private as they do in public. So sinister!
Read able 09TELAVIV1324, GOI DISCUSSES LEBANON AND SYRIA WITH HOF available at http://213.251.145.96/cable/2009/06/09TELAVIV1324.html You also might consider, given his constant statements about favoring a 'two state solution' that Netanyahu made it absolutely clear to a US representative that he would never allow an actual Palestinian state. See: "Netanyahu asserted that there is agreement within the government and among 80% of Israelis that the Palestinians should be able to rule themselves, but with limits imposed by Israel's security requirements. Netanyahu said the only difference between his position and that of opposition leader Tzipi Livni is over the name of the goal, i.e. the two-state solution." cable 09TELAVIV936, CODEL KYL'S MEETING WITH PRIME MINISTER NETANYAHU: at http://213.251.145.96/cable/2009/04/09TELAVIV936.html
It's right in the Likud charter that Netanyahu doesn't want a Palestinian state. Who believed he did just because he said so to initiate 'peace talks"? The usual charade. Has been going on for decades/ What's surprising is only how many people still fall for the lies and deception. When Netanyahu means peace it means: most of the settlements and complete control over the Palestinian reservation.
The Likud Charter is as feckless and insubstantial document as the Hamas Charter the republican or democrat platform. Twaddle pumped out to the yaps as a means of deluding them. Netanyahu is not an adherent to anything but his own career.
"¶8. (C) Netanyahu said his government is reviewing Israel's policy toward the Palestinians. There is a consensus in the government and among 80% of the Israeli public that the Palestinians should be able to govern themselves. The only limits on Palestinian sovereignty would be elements that affect Israel's security. A Palestinian state must be demilitarized, without control over its air space and electro-magnetic field, and without the power to enter into treaties or control its borders. Netanyahu concluded that he and opposition leader Tzipi Livni "only disagree about the name," i.e. the two-state solution." Pretty much what he said in his Bar-Ilan speech. And yes, he talked about a State (or maybe a "state" depending of your view, I think the discussion is pointless because there is not even a single successful Arab country in which the Army is not strong enough to essentially let the dictators rule their countries. The fact is, odds seem to be against Bibi's vision and the traditional Israeli demand of the Palestinian state to be demilitarized, unless there was a massive international intervention with peacekeepers on the area, but even if it were to be successful which is not guaranteed, these peacekeepers would not be able to stay there forever so it could at best buy some few years post-peace treaty signing. On the other hand I can't blame Israelis for being averse to the idea of a Palestinian Army, given recent history, but the regional realities still hold). Anyway, that's not different of what he said on the Bar Ilan speech. So RedBull is right.
Does anyone think Netanyahu would allow a Palestinian state next door if the Palestinians won't accept Israel's right to exist? He would have to be a fool. And he's no fool.
about Likud charter etc. Netanyahu will soon be history