Israeli security agency defends use of threatening messages

By JOSEF FEDERMAN
Associated Press

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s Shin Bet internal security agency is defending its use of a surveillance tool that was used to send threatening text messages to Palestinian protesters at Jerusalem’s most sensitive holy site two years ago. A leading civil rights group has asked Israel’s Supreme Court to halt the practice, saying the threatening messages exceeded the authorities of the Shin Bet. During protests at the Al Aqsa Mosque in May 2021, hundreds of Palestinian protesters received messages warning they would be “held accountable.” Some recipients had participated in the unrest, but others received the message erroneously. In a court filing, the Shin Bet acknowledged past errors, but said these had been fixed and described the technology as a legitimate tool.