US sanctions spyware firm founded by former Israeli military officer
The United States Treasury Department has announced new sanctions against Intellexa Consortium, a spyware company founded by former Israeli military officer Tal Dilian.
The new penalties target five people and one organisation, in addition to Dilian and other entities associated with Intellexa, who were already named in earlier sanctions announced by the Treasury Department in March this year.
The company developed and sold a suite of spyware tools known as Predator that allowed entry into a target’s device without requiring them to click on a link or attachment.
Intellexa was one of four Israeli-linked firms that an international investigation led by Amnesty International found had been selling invasive spyware and cyber-surveillance technology to Indonesia, which has no formal diplomatic ties with Israel.
Media watchdog slams Israel’s move to strip Al Jazeera journalists of press credentials
The International Press Institute (IPI) has strongly condemned the Israeli government’s recent decision to revoke the press passes of Al Jazeera journalists, months after the outlet was banned in the country.
“The Israeli government’s decision to revoke Al Jazeera press passes highlights a broader and deeply alarming pattern of harassment of journalists and attacks on press freedom in Israel and the region,” Scott Griffen, IPI interim executive director, said.
Nitzan Chen, director of Israel’s Government Press Office (GPO), announced the decision on Thursday, accusing Al Jazeera of spreading “false content” and “incitement against Israelis”.
Griffen said the move was indicative of a “systematic effort” by Israeli authorities to “expand its control over media reporting about Israel, including reporting on and from Gaza”.
In May, Israel’s cabinet unanimously voted to shut down Al Jazeera in the country, immediately ordering the closure of its offices and a ban on the company’s broadcasts.
At the time, Al Jazeera described it as a “criminal act” and warned that Israel’s suppression of the free press “stands in contravention of international and humanitarian law”.
‘Unprecedented in recent history’: German media ask Israel to allow reporting from Gaza
German news media outlets have called on Israel to grant them access to Gaza, charging that the “almost complete exclusion of international media … is unprecedented in recent history”.
“After almost a year of war, we call on the Israeli government: allow us to enter the Gaza Strip,” a group of newspapers, agencies and broadcasters wrote in an open letter.
They also urged Egypt to permit them entry to the widely devastated Palestinian territory via the Rafah border crossing in the south of the Gaza Strip.
