Spain supports Morocco against Israeli Pegasus use accusations: EFE
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Spanish government sources dismiss any attempt to charge a third nation, most notably Morocco, with using Pegasus spyware on Spanish top politicians and officials as "mere speculation".
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This studio photographic illustration shows a smartphone with the website of Israeli NSO Group, which features 'Pegasus' spyware, on display in Paris, on July 21, 2021. (AFP)
Spanish news agency EFE reported that government officials rejected the claims made against Morocco or any other country in relation to the use of the Israeli Pegasus spyware as false and baseless.
Any attempt to charge a third nation, most notably Morocco, with using Pegasus spyware on Spanish top politicians and officials was dismissed by government sources as "mere speculation", as per government sources.
This comes shortly after members of the European Parliament probing the use of Israeli Pegasus spyware by EU states announced that they will visit Spain this week amid brewing resentment among member states and the European Commission.
Concurrently, discontent is growing among MEPs on the Pega committee, which was formed in the aftermath of a wiretapping scandal in which Israeli spyware Pegasus was used to target opposition politicians, attorneys, prosecutors, journalists, and others.
Yet, a handful of EU member states have flatly refused to cooperate with the committee. National authorities in Poland, for example, declined to even meet with them.
The committee's chair, Dutch center-right MEP Jeroen Lenaers, accused both the commission and member states of delaying tactics and obfuscation earlier this week on the plenary floor in Strasbourg.
Meanwhile, the European Commission claims it has no jurisdiction over national security issues and that individuals should seek justice in court.
It is worth noting that the Israeli-led spyware industry has been embroiled in a seemingly never-ending spate of extremely prominent controversies. Revelations that it sells its spyware to authoritarian regimes, that its products have been used to spy on journalists, activists, politicians, and even potentially world leaders, and accusations that it played a role in murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi's death have put it at the center of international criticism.
