(New York Times) The investigation into whether AIPAC officials passed classified information from a Pentagon official to Israel has become one of the most byzantine counterintelligence stories in recent memory. So far, the Justice Department has not accused anyone of wrongdoing and no one has been arrested. Skeptics of the case have said that the U.S. and Israel routinely share highly sensitive information on military and diplomatic matters under an officially sanctioned understanding. In addition, most of the contents of policy drafts affecting either country are well known to people outside the government who follow American-Israeli affairs. As a result, some of Pentagon analyst Lawrence Franklin's associates regard his efforts as an attempt to obtain AIPAC's help to influence the Bush administration rather than an effort to provide Israel with information. They believe the case is the latest in a series of assaults by intelligence and law enforcement agencies, who they believe are determined to diminish the influence of conservative civilians at the Pentagon.
2004-09-06 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive