Israeli Knesset Investigates the Pegasus Scandal
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The Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Security Committee investigates the leaked information concerning the Israeli "Pegasus" program, used to spy on journalists and officials.
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CEO of the "NSO Group" welcomes any investigation into his company.
Head of the Israeli Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Security Committee, Ram Ben Barak, said today, Thursday, that the Israeli parliament formed a committee to investigate allegations that some countries "misused" "Pegasus" to spy on political and media figures.
"The Foreign Affairs and Security Committee appointed a committee consisting of several groups," Ben Barak told Army Radio, adding: "At the end of the investigation, we will decide whether we need to take any actions."
Today, Thursday, NSO Group CEO Shalev Hulio denounced the attempt to "discredit the entire Israeli Internet industry" and said he was "very supportive" of an investigation into the "acquittal" of his company.
The Pegasus spyware program, which a private Israeli company developed, coordinates directly with the Israeli government and penetrates smartphones with a virus to spy on photos, conversations, and documents inside the phone.
A report published by the New York Times newspaper, last Saturday, revealed that "Israel" secretly allowed a group of digital monitoring companies to work for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The spyware company was founded by people who previously worked in Unit 8200, one of the most powerful units of Israeli intelligence, which spies on institutions and individuals around the world.
Pegasus spied on at least 189 journalists, 85 human rights activists, and 14 heads of state. The NSO Group stated that it sold the Pegasus program to more than 40 states with the approval of the Israeli authorities.
