U.S. Wiretaps of Israeli Embassy Leaked

There is something of a bombshell today: the first person prosecuted by the Obama administration under the Espionage Act for leaking classified information to media turns out to be Shamai K. Leibowitz, an Israeli-born FBI translator, and a former lawyer who once represented the jailed Palestinian politician/terrorist Marwan Barghouti. Leibowitz is serving 20 months in prison for leaking wiretaps of the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C., to the left-wing Israel blogger Richard Silverstein. Leibowitz apparently did this in some attempt to drive public opinion against what he believed was Israel’s strong push for military action against Iran. Silverstein, the blogger, claims to have burned all the transcripts at Leibowitz’s request (it’s a slightly curious thing). Recovered blog posts based on the transcripts report that “a confidential source” had informed Silverstein that the embassy arranged calls among Israeli officials to discuss Congress’ views on Israel; that a Jewish activist and Israeli official discussed a trip to Gaza taken by Muslim congressman Keith Ellison; and plans to write an op-ed to be run under the byline of a supporter.

The left will complain about one thing, the right about another:

The left will say (indeed, is already saying) that the public had a right to know about what Leibowitz was releasing. A notable subplot is a contretemps last month involving Silverstein and the blogger Adam Holland, in which J Street distanced itself from Silverstein. But actually—and even if you agree that this helped prevent military action against Iran (which is dubious) and that this is a good thing (more valid)—government professionals who deal with classified information simply aren’t allowed to leak said information. Moreover, what he seems to have leaked is evidence not of criminal activity or even the unusually insidious manipulation of the levers of power by the Israel Lobby, to adopt the terminology of certain critics of that lobby, but rather the ordinary lobbying that can and should be done by all foreign governments.

And the right will say that the United States should not be spying on Israel. “I am not surprised at all to learn that the F.B.I. was listening to the Israelis,” a columnist is quoted. “But I don’t think it’s a wise use of resources because I don’t see Israel as a threat to American security.” This is, frankly, ludicrous. We spy on Israel. We also spy on Britain and France. And Israel spies on us. Everyone spies on everyone. Even if there had been no American citizen who leaked nuclear secrets to the Israelis—which, in fact, there was—to suggest that it is a waste of resources to spy on Israel is to suggest, among other things, that Israel’s and America’s interests are completely and totally identical, which is something not even the right should want to sign onto.

Finally, quick question: why was a guy who once favorably compared Barghouti to Moses an FBI translator? Surely they could have found more ideologically neutral Hebrew translators?

Leak Offers Look at U.S. Efforts to Spy on Israel [NYT]
Related: J Street Smears Good Richard Silverstein … [Mondoweiss]
Repair Richard Silverstein’s World [Adam Holland Blog]
National Insecurity [Tablet Magazine]