Israel’s security chiefs slam new cyber security body

Israeli security chiefs sent a letter to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressing their anger at his new bill to establish a cyber security body, Israel’s Channel 2 revealed.

Senior Israeli officials signed the letter including Mossad Chief Yossi Cohen, Shin Bet Chief Nadav Argaman, Israeli occupation forces Deputy Chief of Staff Yair Golan and the Israeli Defence Ministry Director General Udi Adam signed the letter, the Times of Israel reported Channel 2 saying.

They warned that the current proposed bill for the National Cyber Authority would cause “severe harm to the security of the State of Israel”.

Channel 2 said that the chiefs of the Israeli security bodies are afraid that the new one would carry out similar missions to them thus undermining their work.

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Maariv, an Israeli newspaper, reported this issue as part of the ongoing conflict among the Israeli security bodies, noting this time is not about the budget, but about the establishment of a new body.

The newspaper stressed that the security chiefs are angry with the new body because it would have both administrative and executive roles at the same time.

It stated that this conflict appeared in the form of reports raised to the Israeli prime minister, complaining of interference by the new body in their workflow.

The fear of the security chiefs, Maariv said, increased after they realised that this body was established without their knowledge.

According to Times of Israel, in August 2016, the Knesset proposed reforming the National Cyber Authority, which was designed to bring together the country’s various cyber defence groups under one umbrella.

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