Israeli Leaders Cautious over Report of U.S. Spy in the IDF

Israeli officials reacted cautiously to reports from Washington Friday that the CIA had tried to operate a spy within the Israel Defense Force in 1982.

The report was headlined in Friday’s Jerusalem Post.

It quotes Senator David Durenberger (R. Minn.) telling a group of some 100 Jewish activists in a meeting sponsored by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee in Palm Beach last Sunday that former CIA Director William Casey had authorized a covert operation against Israel long before the Pollard affair began.

Durenberger is the immediate past chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee.

Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister Shimon Peres told Israel Radio Friday there was no truth to the report, adding he understood IDF sources had earlier Friday said they had no information about the alleged spy, a “high-level Israeli officer in the IDF who had originally made aliya from the U.S.” During the Lebanon war he reportedly was “bumped” by the IDF.

KNOWLEDGE OF THE AFFAIR DENIED

Yossi Ben-Aharon, Director General of the Prime Minister’s office, said he knew nothing of the affair, but added that he would not be surprised if something like that had happened.

“As we all know, spying is the business of all governments against all other governments–not against, but in favor of their own security. I’m not very surprised,” Ben-Aharon said.

A similar denial was made Friday by Defense Minister Yitzhak Rabin, in an interview with a West German newspaper. He was answering a question arising from a statement allegedly made by convicted spy Jonathan Pollard that U.S. agents had been employed in Israel.

Morris Abram, chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, said here that he had no information on the report, but added: “If Sen. Durenberger’s information–which I know nothing about–were true, I am sure the Israeli government and officials will be just as understanding and forgiving as the government of the U.S., in the form of the President and all of his officials, have been in respect to this rogue operation by Mr. Pollard.”

The Post report quoted Durenberger as having said that it was the CIA activity which had apparently led to Israel’s decision to “run” Pollard in Washington.

(In Washington, Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger denied Durenberger’s allegation. Interviewed on NBC’s “Meet the Press” program Sunday, Weinberger said the Senator’s statement was a damaging and very wrong statement” because it can be used to “justify further espionage.” He denied that there was any American spy in the IDF.)