Israel conducting surveillance on US forces, allies at southern command center: Report

A recent report has revealed that Israeli operatives are conducting widespread surveillance of American troops and allies stationed at a new US command center in the southern part of the Israeli-occupied territories, with the US military and allied forces expressing concern over the activities.

According to the British daily newspaper The Guardian, the Israeli military has been openly and covertly recording meetings and discussions at the so-called Civil-Military Coordination Center (CMCC)  in the industrial zone of Kiryat Gat, a nondescript town about 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the border with Gaza.

The scale of intelligence gathering prompted the US commander of the base, Lieutenant General Patrick Frank, to summon his Israeli counterpart for a meeting to tell him that “recording has to stop here,” the paper cited unnamed sources briefed on disputes about the recordings.

Staff and visitors from other countries – who were not identified in the report – have also raised concerns about Israel’s recording inside the CMCC.

The Guardian also reported that some have been told to avoid sharing sensitive information because of the risk it could be recorded and exploited.

“The US military declined to comment when asked about Israeli surveillance activities. The Israeli military declined to comment on Frank’s demand to halt recording and noted that conversations inside the CMCC are unclassified," the report went on to say.

The Israeli military dismissed assertions that it is “gathering intelligence” on its partners, saying it was documenting and summarizing meetings through what it described as a “transparent and agreed-upon manner.”

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The CMCC was set up in October to purportedly monitor the implementation of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas through an operations room that allows staff to assess developments in Gaza in real time.

US Central Command (CENTCOM) considers it to be the main coordination aid hub for Gaza. The center is also responsible for drawing up plans for Gaza’s future.

The CMCC is based at the former site of the now-debunked and controversial aid group, the Gaza Humanitarian Fund, whose food distribution sites became death traps for hundreds of Palestinians.

The center brings together military planners from the US, Israel and other allied countries, including the UK and the United Arab Emirates. Visitors to the CMCC include both diplomats and humanitarian aid workers who have been posted to the Israeli-occupied territories.

There are no representatives of Palestinian civilian or humanitarian organizations, or the Palestinian Authority, stationed there. They have been excluded from discussions at the CMCC. 

Even efforts to bring Palestinians into talks through video calls were repeatedly cut off by Israeli officials.

Diplomats and aid workers are deeply wary of work conducted at the CMCC as they are concerned that the center excludes Palestinians from being involved in planning discussions for Gaza’s future, does not have an international mandate, could be breaking international law, and mixes military and humanitarian work.

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