A few weeks ago, a knowledgeable Israeli security source told me that the Shin Bet was launching a wide public campaign to recruit new agents to the security service. Other than a few ads I feature here, I saw no evidence of the campaign so I didn’t report it. Yesterday, the other shoe dropped with the report that Israeli universities have provided personal contact information (Hebrew and English here) for thousands of their graduates to the Shin Bet. The agency has sent recruitment letters to many of them informing them that they may be suitable to work for Israel’s secret police. They urge the individuals to submit job applications.
In some cases, letters were mailed to social justice activists, who thought such recruitment odd. Were they seeking spies to infiltrate Israeli social justice movements? Some of these recipients hadn’t even served in the IDF, which would render them less desirable candidates.
So a Meretz MK wrote to the prime minister’s office asking why Israeli leftists were being recruited and what was the criteria used to determine who was a suitable candidate to approach. The response was pretty much what you’d expect: how could you even think such a thing? That the Shin Bet would recruit people because of their leftist views!! Preposterous.
In no case did recipients authorize release of their private information. But it appears that in the national security state such things are pro forma matters and the security services can get what they want and do what they want. It may summon who it wants and many would be honored to dirty their hands for the sake of the nation.
In truth, all Israeli security agencies including the police have carte blanche to demand whatever information they wish from state agencies like universities, which have no choice but to comply. But it seems to me that the schools should publicly reveal that the information was demanded and provided so their graduates would be aware of this breach of privacy.
The Shin Bet obtained the names, citizen ID numbers (equivalent to a driver’s license and social security number), and contact information for all graduates.
Richard.
I have to divulge my Israeli I.D. # and my driver’s license # every time I use my credit card at the gas station.
No biggie.
As for recruitment, wouldn’t you prefer the SB recruit from the universities, than say, the yeshiva’s?
@ Growler: You have to show an ID number to a cashier just as I have to show my driver’s license when I use my credit card. But does the cashier put your ID into a computer & maintain it for later undisclosed use? No. And do you give the cashier your home address and phone number? No. So yes, a biggie.
As for Shin Bet recruitment, I’d like to see Israel a non-militarist, non-security obsessed state that doesn’t need to recruit thugs to beat up Palestinian suspects. Does that answer your question? As for recruiting from yeshivot, the Shin Bet already recruits from them as proven by the overwhelming numbers of Orthodox settlers among its agents.
“I’d like to see Israel a non-militarist, non-security obsessed state ”
So would I, but the reality is, that every one of Israel’s neighbors is also militarist and security obsessed, not to mention the fact that there is a war raging on Israel’s northern border and ISIS has a presence on the southern border.
@ Growler:
If I had a dollar every time an Israeli said “I’d like to be kind, gentle, tolerant & democratic but”…I’d be a rich man. Sorry, Charley, it’s no excuse.
I live in Israel and I have never been asked to provide anything other than the CC I am using for the particular transaction.
The only exception to this is if I pay a bill or purchase something online{in Israel} they request the CC’s owner name and ID number which seems sensible since anybody could be using it.
On the other hand even online this is not a sure thing because the CC could be stolen and the owner and ID could be know to the thief.
This ‘security state’ is played out a little too much.
Well, after serving in the Israeli army I went to university, and one day I got a call, maybe also a letter from the “prime minister’s office”, inviting me to an interview since I may be applicable for a position “there”. Well, needless to say, the recruiting process didn’t go very far, but the salary that they do offer students, from what I’ve heard, was at the time quite ridiculously low considering the job: 27 shekels an hour. I mean, students are desperate and it may be better that working as a waiter, but come on. That’s a joke.
The NSA apparently gets whatever it wants in the US. Shaking down institutions, government agencies and private corporations is SOP in the National Security State. The real story is why leftists and why untrained, non-military types?
If Shin Bet does indeed want to attract leftist types it must have high confidence in. Its capacity to indoctrinate. Doesn’t it fear another Edward Snowden or Bradly Manning? It must be badly in need of leftist inffiltrators and “agents provocateur” to be willing to take that risk.
Incidentally, here in Australia my credit card is taken on trust anywhere – no need to show your driver’s. licence etc. Is the fact that this is not so in the US annother small sign that Fukuyama might be right in arguing that it is turning into a low trust society? Of Israel I take for granted that it is that type of society.
I don’t comment much on Israeli questions, as beyond my ability to comment. However, I find it surprising that Netanyahu is so sensitive about a not very strong BDS campaign. Searching out potential traitors, as this post indicates, is more suggestive of paranoia. Paranoia didn’t work well for Erdogan – I shouldn’t think it will work better for Netanyahu.
This is nothing new. When I lived in Israel 30-40 years ago, I saw ads like that all they time (though they were less cutesy) in newspapers. And I believe it was shortly after I graduated from Hebrew U. law school in 1984 that I received such a recruitment letter. A leftist then and now (and not to diminish my disdain for what the Shin Bet does), I chuckled and filed it away as a curio. I still have it. I figured they got lists of grads and the path of least resistance was to send it to everyone. Cast a wide net and see who responds; plenty of time to examine later who is truly “suitable.”
I’d like to see the Meretz letter of complaint. Do you have it, Richard? It sounds kind of bizarre. From what I know of its politics, I’d think Meretz would be insulted if its supporters were not recruited.