Allegations linking US media figures to Israeli intelligence officers surface
Protesters try to block arriving guests as demonstrators gather to protest the attacks in Gaza and show support for Palestinians by chanting slogans outside the Washington Hilton, the site of the annual White House Correspondents' Dinner in Washington, D.C., United States on April 27, 2024. (AA Photo)
An online report has accused several prominent US media figures of having ties to Israel’s covert military intelligence organization, Unit 8200, raising concerns about journalistic impartiality and bias in reporting on Middle Eastern conflicts. The left-wing MintPress News outlet published the story on Wednesday, alleging that current and former US-based journalists worked in the Israeli military’s controversial intelligence division before transitioning to prominent media roles.
The figures mentioned include Axios White House reporter Barak Ravid, former CNN producer Shachar Peled, and Tal Heinrich, who also worked for CNN and is now a spokesperson for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. MintPress News reported that all three are alumni of Unit 8200, a division known for its cyber warfare, intelligence gathering, and surveillance operations, particularly targeting Palestinians in the occupied territories.
Unit 8200 has been the focus of international criticism, particularly over its surveillance tactics. The report stated that the unit gathers extensive personal data on Palestinians through a vast surveillance network that tracks phone calls, messages, emails, and even monitors social media activity. MintPress alleges that this information is used for coercion, including extortion and blackmail, in order to recruit informants.
The report highlighted accusations from 43 former Unit 8200 reservists who, in 2014, condemned the division for participating in human rights abuses through its surveillance practices. These reservists claimed that the intelligence gathered was a tool of Israel’s occupation.
Additionally, Unit 8200 has been linked to recent cyber operations, including a controversial attack in Lebanon that injured civilians. Former CIA Director Leon Panetta, in an interview with CBS, labeled the operation as a form of terrorism.
The MintPress article questioned whether former Unit 8200 members, now working in US media, should be allowed to cover sensitive issues related to Israel and Palestine. The report referenced other former Israeli military figures now working in journalism, including Tamar Michaelis, a Middle East reporter for CNN, and Anat Schwartz, a former Israeli Air Force Intelligence officer who now writes for The New York Times.
The scrutiny of these figures extends to broader criticisms of media organizations like CNN and The New York Times, which have faced internal and external challenges over their handling of Israel-Palestine coverage. For instance, the Times was recently criticized over a controversial piece about sexual violence during the October 7 Hamas attacks, which was later discredited by the family of one of the alleged victims.
The MintPress report has sparked further debates about media bias, transparency, and journalistic standards, particularly in relation to the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict. MintPress writer Alan Macleod stopped short of accusing the media figures of being current spies but raised concerns about their pasts. “Are people with these pasts truly appropriate candidates to write Americans’ news about Israel/Palestine?” he asked.
