NYT reported that India and Israel had agreed on the sale of a package of weapons and intelligence gear worth roughly USD 2 billion, with Pegasus and a missile system as the centerpieces.
New Delhi: The Israeli spyware Pegasus and a missile system were the “centerpieces” of a roughly USD 2 billion deal of sophisticated weapons and intelligence gear between India and Israel in 2017, according to a report in The New York Times.
A massive controversy erupted last year when the NSO Group hit the headlines with the alleged use of its Pegasus software by some governments to spy on journalists, human rights defenders, politicians and others in a number of countries, including India, triggered concerns over issues relating to privacy.
The NYT, in a report titled ‘The Battle for the World’s Most Powerful Cyberweapon’, said that the Israeli firm NSO Group had for nearly a decade been “selling its surveillance software on a subscription basis to law-enforcement and intelligence agencies around the world, promising that it could do what no one else — not a private company, not even a state intelligence service — could do: consistently and reliably crack the encrypted communications of any iPhone or Android smartphone.”
The report also referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Israel in July 2017 – to become the first Indian prime minister to visit the country.
“For decades, India had maintained a policy of what it called “commitment to the Palestinian cause,” and relations with Israel were frosty. The Modi visit, however, was notably cordial, complete with a carefully staged moment of him and (then Israeli) Prime Minister (Benjamin) Netanyahu walking together barefoot on a local beach,” it said.
“They had reason for the warm feelings. Their countries had agreed on the sale of a package of sophisticated weapons and intelligence gear worth roughly USD 2 billion — with Pegasus and a missile system as the centerpieces. “Months later, Netanyahu made a rare state visit to India. And in June 2019, India voted in support of Israel at the UN’s Economic and Social Council to deny observer status to a Palestinian human rights organisation, a first for the nation,” the report said.
Illegal snooping using Pegasus amounts to treason: Cong
Congress on Saturday attacked the Centre over the report saying illegal snooping using the spyware amounts to “treason”. Taking to twitter, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said, “The Modi government bought Pegasus to spy on state leaders and the public. They have targeted the ruling party, the Opposition, the court, by tapping their phones. This is treason. The Modi government has committed treason.”
Attacking the government, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge said on Twitter, “Why did Modi Govt act like the enemies of India and use a warfare weapon against Indian citizens?” “Illegal snooping using Pegasus amounts to treason. No one is above the law and we will ensure that justice is served,” he said.
Citing the media report, Congress spokesperson Shama Mohammed said this is “irrefutable proof” that the BJP government used military grade spyware to snoop on the citizens of India, including former Congress president Rahul Gandhi.
Rajya Sabha MP and senior Congress leader Shaktisinh Gohil alleged that the “revelations” in the report imply that the government “misled” the Supreme Court and Parliament on the issue.
“Why @narendramodi is silent? It is @PMOIndia’s duty to clarify. New York Times revelations today that It did indeed subscribe by payment from tax payers money of ? 300 crores to spyware Pegasus sold by Israeli NSO company,” he tweeted. “This implies our Govt misled Supreme Court & Parliament,” Gohil said.
BJP MP Subramanian Swamy said, “Modi government must rebut New York Times revelations today that It did indeed subscribe by payment from tax payers money of ? 300 crores to spyware Pegasus sold by Israeli NSO company.
“This implies prima facie our Govt misled Supreme Court and Parliament. Watergate?” he tweeted.
Govt denies allegations of any kind of surveillance
Last year, a row erupted over Israeli spyware Pegasus allegedly being used for targeted surveillance in India. The government, however, dismissed allegations of any kind of surveillance on its part on specific people, saying it “has no concrete basis or truth associated with it whatsoever”.
In October last year, the Supreme Court set up a 3-member independent expert panel to probe the alleged use of Israeli spyware Pegasus for targeted surveillance in India, observing the state cannot get a “free pass” every time the spectre of national security is raised and that its mere invocation cannot render the judiciary a “mute spectator” and be the bugbear it shies away from. The NYT report said that the FBI too had bought a version of Pegasus, “NSO’s premier spying tool.” It was around last summer that the FBI “decided not to deploy the NSO weapons.
Israel formed a committee to review the allegations
Amidst a raging controversy worldwide, Israel established a committee in July to review the allegations of misuse of the NSO group’s surveillance software and hinted at a possible “review of the whole matter of giving licences”.
NSO’s then chief executive, Shalev Hulio, had then welcomed the move saying would be “very pleased if there were an investigation so that we’d be able to clear our name”.
Hulio also claimed that there was an effort “to smear the whole Israeli cyber industry”.
Israel, in November last year, distanced itself from the controversy triggered by the NSO Group after the US blacklisted the technology firm, which had developed the Pegasus spyware that was allegedly used to target government officials, activists and journalists globally, saying that it is a private company and it has nothing to do with the policies of the Israeli government.
The US sanctioned the Herzliya-based company over alleged misuse of its phone-hacking spyware in countries across the world, including in India.
