Israeli espionage in the United States - Wikipedia
Small population but topfrags stealing technology jfl
Israel has also conducted extensive economic espionage in the United States – i.e. stealing or illicitly acquiring commercial, scientific, or high-tech secrets for economic gain. Israeli economic espionage often overlaps with military objectives (many technologies have dual civilian-military uses), but it also includes purely commercial targets such as advanced computing, telecommunications, aerospace, and other industries where Israel seeks a competitive edge. This pattern has been documented since the country’s founding and has sometimes drawn sharp criticism from U.S. officials, given that Israel is a major recipient of U.S. economic aid.[39][5] Economic espionage against America has been “aggressive” since 1948, vital in helping Israel “sustain and modernize” its military and high-tech sectors (including its nuclear program) at the expense of U.S. companies’ intellectual property. In the early statehood years when Israel lacked an advanced industrial base, Israeli agents obtained sensitive chemical formulas, agricultural patents, and aviation designs from U.S. firms (sometimes via Jewish emigrants returning to Israel). By the 1980s and 1990s, Israel’s high-tech economy was burgeoning, boosted by know-how from the U.S. and other countries often acquired covertly.[5]
The cost of Israel’s economic espionage to the United States is hard to quantify but believed to be significant. The stolen or copied technologies have saved Israel years of R&D and millions of dollars – effectively subsidizing Israeli firms at the expense of American competitors. A 1993 GAO report cited by analyst Duncan Clarke noted that Israel’s motivations include not just bolstering its own industry but also reselling or trading U.S.-origin tech to other countries for profit and diplomatic gain.[5]
There have been suspicions that Israel’s intelligence services sometimes spy on U.S. corporations to benefit Israeli companies in trade negotiations or to gain investment advantages. In one case reported by Newsweek in 2014, U.S. officials accused Israel of “crossing red lines” by using cyber espionage to obtain proprietary information from American firms, including those involved in energy and medical technology. Joint trade missions or front companies controlled by Israeli intelligence agencies are apparently being used to steal secrets.[40] Israel heavily recruits Israeli or Jewish-American students and scientists in sensitive fields to act as eyes and ears. Israel denied these claims, but multiple U.S. intelligence assessments have ranked Israel as a top offender in economic spying among allies.[5]
