Israeli officials have emphatically insisted they knew nothing of the Nozette matter beforehand. And, in an obscure one-sentence footnote, the FBI affidavit notes that Israel did not violate any U.S. laws. Ironic, since it is rather clear that those responsible for the sting – approval for which would have come from the highest levels at Justice and the FBI – cavalierly broke Israeli law.
After all, it is certainly illegal in Israel (as it is in all countries) to impersonate a government official. Since Israeli officials were unaware of the matter, they could not have authorized the FBI to impersonate Mossad agents. If Israeli officials, without U.S. permission, went around pretending to be FBI agents, rest assured our government justifiably would be peeved, to put it mildly.
One would hope that Israel puts tough questions to and demands explanations from Attorney General Holder and FBI Director Mueller, especially since the publicity in the case, by perpetuating unseemly stereotypes, has done and will continue to do damage to American Jews.
One would also hope that leaders of the Jewish community raise some hell and not show the timidity that, unfortunately, characterized many responses to the Rosen/Weissman AIPAC case. We are not – and must not behave as though we are – guests in our own country.