White House unaware that US ambassador to Israel met with convicted spy
The White House has said it was unaware that a meeting took place earlier this year between United States ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee and Jonathan Pollard, a former US Navy officer who was convicted of spying for Israel and jailed for decades.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said that while the Trump administration had no advance knowledge of the meeting, “the president stands by our ambassador, Mike Huckabee, and all that he is doing for the United States and Israel”.
Huckabee met Pollard in July at the US embassy in Jerusalem, The New York Times revealed on Thursday. The meeting was reportedly not on Huckabee’s official schedule and took place without the knowledge of US intelligence agencies, The Times reported, quoting two unnamed US officials.
NGOs sue Leonardo, Italy government over arms sales to Israel
Seven civil society groups in Italy brought a lawsuit against the government and the state-controlled defence group Leonardo in late September over arms sales to Israel. The move comes in a bid to stop weapons being exported from Italy to Israel.
Speaking on Thursday, the NGOs alleged Leonardo is still selling its products to the Israeli army. Under Italian law, arms exports are prohibited to countries waging war. “Israel carries out in the West Bank and Gaza a military occupation and systematic apartheid that are fed with weapons supplied by foreign partners,” the groups said.
In a statement, Leonardo, one of the world’s biggest weapons producers, said it has not broken any laws and pledged to defend itself in court. Any suggestion its actions are linked to Israel’s war on Gaza is “a serious distortion without legal basis”, it said.
The Italian government has yet to comment on the lawsuit.
Ah the good old "Wir haben es nicht gewußt" defense. Or rather simple denial.
