Israel minister orders probe into use of phone tapping

Israeli Minister of Public Security, Omer Bar-Lev, yesterday ordered an investigation into recent reports on local police using NSO Group’s Pegasus software to spy on citizens without a court order.

“I instructed the legal entities in the Public Security Ministry and my bureau staff to conduct an examination of the existing arrangements, including the Wiretapping Law and the search law,” Bar-Lev said. “This is to examine the need to make adjustments, in order to be exacting and clarify the limits of what is allowed and prohibited in the use of advanced technological means for enforcement purposes. If necessary, my ministry will formulate a government bill, in coordination with the Justice Ministry.”

On Saturday, Bar-Lev denied accusations that law enforcement had broken laws. “I can tell you that all the investigations, including by the attorney general, all the investigations … except for the fact that Israeli police use advanced technology — it all turned out to be incorrect,” he said.

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